Prayer - Just Do It
by Maria Houpt
So, how’s your prayer life? Right on target where it should be? Needs some work? Or are you thinking – prayer life, what’s that???
Since I asked you about your prayer life, I guess it is only fair that I share mine. Honestly, it needs work. Often, I let my to-do list get in the way of any concentrated prayer time. But it shouldn’t be that way. Prayer is something we must make time for, as it is our connection to God. It is one of the ways that He communicates with us.
If you agree that prayer should be a daily part of our lives, how can we strengthen that? How can we make the time that we should for talking with our Father? The following are two ways that help me when my prayer life isn’t as it should be.
Just Do It
Yes, that’s the Nike slogan, I know. But it is very accurate regarding prayer (and for reading Scripture). If I haven’t been faithful in my prayer life (here I’m talking concentrated quiet time communing with my Lord), I lose – to some degree – the desire to make it happen. I lose the feeling of needing to spend that precious time with God. This is where Just Do It comes in. I have found that once I sit and Just Do It, the desire to continue in prayer, to continue communing with God, returns. The more I spend that time with Him, the more time I want to spend with Him. Matthew 6:33 tells us, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” So go ahead, Just Do It.
Pray Without Ceasing
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tell us, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.” For me, this is the easy part of prayer. Without ceasing does not mean one continual, never-ending, never-taking-a-break, long prayer. What it does mean is that we should pray all throughout the day, at different times throughout the day. It means that we should always be thinking things of God. Yes, we should have a time of focused prayer each day but praying without ceasing is a lifestyle of prayer. It is ‘spot’ prayers throughout the day. Hear the sirens of an ambulance nearby? Pray for those involved. See a beautiful sunset across the horizon? Give God a prayer of thanksgiving for sharing His beauty. Facing an unexpected problem in your day? A quick prayer for guidance is a welcome sound to His ears. Find things to pray about, whether it be a prayer of thankfulness or need, a prayer of praise or confession. I have found that the more I intentionally think about God, the more I will automatically think about Him throughout my day.
I have found that when my prayer life is lacking, doing these two things helps me to get back in the groove. And I want to be in the groove with my prayer life because that is when I feel closest to God. Have you ever heard the saying, “When you don’t feel close to God, who moved?” It isn’t because He has moved away from us, but because we have moved away from Him, even in something as simple as not spending enough time with Him in prayer. So, move closer to Him. Go ahead, just do it; pray without ceasing. It will make a big difference.
