Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord in health to keep,
All of those who are to me,                                                                                                                                         A warm and loving family.

This was the prayer I said every night as a child. It was my father’s less morbid version of the original “Now I lay me down to sleep….”

As a fairly new Christian, prayer has become a bigger part of my life. Previously, I would pray for my family and if someone outside of that circle needed prayer, I would add them to the list, at least until their prayers were answered. Now that I belong to a larger community, the requests for prayer are much more frequent. In the beginning, I found myself feeling overwhelmed. How can I pray for all of these people? But it’s really not difficult and takes no extra time.

Prayer is very powerful. I think most would agree. It changes the air around you. Your thoughts vibrate outside of you as they travel into the universe. Prayer changes you. It allows you to connect with your innermost being as well as the natural world. The Bible says we should pray without ceasing. I don’t believe that means we are to stop our lives and all communication with others to only communicate with God. No, I take it to mean that we should keep a prayerful heart and during the quiet times fill the air around us with prayer.

Pray for guidance, clarity, peace, comfort, love, health, abundance – for yourself and for others. Pray for our leaders, pray for the world. Pray for those in pain and those who are ill. Pray for caregivers, first responders, healers, mothers, fathers, children. Pray for those who are struggling, who are tired and weak. I could go on and on. A few words of prayer will change your attitude and help those in need.

Pray with an open mind and a pure heart. What you are praying for should be a blessing to others. Don’t treat God like a genie in a bottle or Santa Claus. He is not a magician.

The other important thing to remember is that God answers all prayers, in His time and in His way. Your answered prayer may not look exactly like you thought it would, but it will be far better for you in the long run. He is not human and His timing may not be yours. This is where faith comes in.

Spend some time every day in prayer and gratitude. It will change your life for the better. Amen. :))