“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
Part of an old song we used to sing had a line that went, “Oh, what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.”
Now, most Christians know about the need to thank God for our food and other blessings (at least, I pray most Christians know/do this).
However, when it comes to our petitions to the Lord, many Christians bring to the Lord only those things considered prayer “worthy” material. That is, we pray about things we can’t work out for ourselves. Generally, it’s some sort of crisis scenario in which we turn to the Lord, seeking relief or an answer, when our efforts have failed.
Just imagine how much better our lives would be if we genuinely operated in a prayerful manner. In other words, how different might our lives be if we were constantly in communication with our Father concerning every aspect, every moment, every activity, in our lives?
This prayerful way of being and doing is not what people might imagine. You know the stereotypes associated with prayerful people: solemn souls, walking around with bowed heads, communicating with God, oblivious to everything and everyone else around them.
Far to the contrary, living in a prayerful attitude, actually brings a heightened sense of knowledge and understanding in which we can live, move, and have our being, directed and protected, constantly connected, with our Heavenly Father!
Let’s ask the Lord to forgive us for setting arbitrary boundaries to what should be prayed about. Let’s take EVERYTHING to God in prayer, living our lives in constant contact with Him.
Remember, prayers we pray on our knees, alone before the Lord, are good and certainly necessary. With that, there is a whole different level of spiritual operation available to the one who is never “out of contact” with the Father, always mindful of Him. Always open to His leading.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
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