Prayer has never come easily for me. It is a discipline that I value because our Lord valued it. I believe that it is powerful because of the powerful testimony of other prayer warriors. I know that it is something that I should do because Jesus, as well as the gospel writers, Paul, and James under the direction of the Holy Spirit call followers of Jesus to lives of prayer. Paul even says that there are three things we should always be doing: rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. I don’t know about you, but I find that to be challenging. Pray without ceasing? If this is the command, perhaps I don’t understand prayer at all.
What I have learned is that, at its core, prayer is connecting with God. It is the practice of living in an awareness of the presence of God with us and us with God. I have found so much growth in my life spiritually and emotionally as I have learned to practice prayer as presence. The trick is to stay in the presence of God throughout the day: trying not to compartmentalize life into “spiritual activities” and “regular life”. I invite the living God into all of it. I talk to him and listen to him throughout the day. This practice makes stepping into more formal times of prayer simple. It becomes as normal as sitting and talking with Amber.
This is not to say that I am a prayer champion. I still have to put quiet time on my calendar and discipline myself to do it. I still find myself wondering if this practice of prayer really makes any difference. But, like most good things, the result is not immediate, but is found in the consistent repetition of the practice. I don’t feel close to God after one day of prayer, but after a week, a month, or a year? Yes, then the results are keenly felt.
In 2020 we have a bunch of great stuff we are exploring as a church. In January we will be talking about living lives of joy, and in February we begin a series about emotional health. I am confident that these sermons will be good with valuable insights and solid application. But, if we want to truly grow spiritually, to be people of emotional health living lives overflowing with joy, we need to pray. We need to allow God to work in our hearts regarding the things that we are learning about on Sunday.
Let’s turn up our level of prayer as a church. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us so that we can step into abundant life for our sakes and for our communities.