……. “all I can do, is pray”.
Maybe you have spoken those words. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, most likely you have.
These are hard days. It has been a hard year, these past twelve months that have challenged us in ways we never imagined. Who spends a lot of time thinking about the unimaginable? I look around at the masks in public and I think if someone had predicted this scenario in January 2020, they would have been labeled a lunatic.
Yet, here we are.
But hard times bring valuable lessons when we pay attention.
I have learned to say, “the best I can do is pray”, instead of dismissing it as a last resort.
Prayer is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. To be able to communicate with Him as an audience of one is incredible. When we choose to accept Him as our Savior, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then the wildest adventures begin.
To know a part of us hosts the indwelling of Jesus Himself, is more that my human mind can comprehend but I know it is true first from reading it in scripture, then by my personal experiences. Learning to trust God in a personal relationship is beautiful. Discovering who He is on a personal, one on one level, becomes a life long adventure that grows as time and experiences pass by.
John 14:16,17 (Jesus is talking to the disciples before He leaves) “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
Do I treat prayer as a duty or a privilege?
Prayer is not always words.
Treating God like a vending machine is not a good idea. Picking and choosing what I bring before Him is not what develops trust. Building trust takes time and it takes an investment in our hearts to get to know God and to realize He longs for all of us. Not just the parts we think are our best pieces. He wants it all. Hiding what shames us about ourselves is not how this works.
There is the hard work.
Learning that prayer is not a one way conversation. God listens. But He also speaks to us through His word in the bible. Study and dedicated time in bible studies is essential to our relationship growing. But the balance between private time with Him and the time studying must be important to us.
There is a distinct possibility that we can grow to know about God and lose our balance, forgetting how important it is to know God.
2 Peter 1:5-8 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Investing in our relationship develops the essential trust.
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Learning God means what He says “be not anxious about anything, in every situation, with thanksgiving, present our requests to Him”, this changes everything.
Boldly, we can approach God with thanksgiving. I am thankful He is my Father, my Savior and my indwelling personal connection.
Bringing my best – my prayers of gratitude and love – keeps me focused on Him and learning every day how deep His love is for each of us. God knows our troubles, He loves us and cares for us as our relationship grows.
This is a tiny tip of the iceberg as we learn more about prayer. Stay tuned.
“Father, God, humbly we come before You. Praising with thanksgiving as every day we learn more about Your plan for our lives as we study, pray and listen. Thank You God, for loving us so deeply and guide our paths and fill us with Your wisdom. Help us navigate this crazy world we find ourselves living in. Light the path we can follow and stay nearest to You. Let us see You clearly and even when we can’t, give us the boldness that only comes from You to navigate the darkness and the confusion. Thank You Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.”