Prayer. It is something all Believers are called to do. But why is it so hard to do most days? I find myself thinking "I have a good prayer life!" I pray short prayers throughout the day. My prayers are sent up quickly through the business of our day. Prayers like: Please make the kids sleep, please let me find a parking spot, thank you he/she didn't get hurt worse. I have to ask myself though, "Am I really praying? Am I really trusting in God with these requests? And are these even sincere prayers?"
As Christians, we have the greatest opportunity to be in the presence of God. This is through prayer. We're able to come to Him and just be. Prayer is our most powerful weapon against the enemy. So why don't I pray more?
Y'all, I do not have this whole "stay at home mom" thing down. Our house is in constant disarray, I usually forget about meal prepping so meals are usually late, and we probably watch (way) too much tv. I feel like I am already grasping for more time in my day. How can I sit for another 30 minutes to an hour? Where would this fit into our "schedule?" (And I put schedule in quotations because, let's be honest, it is very loosely followed.) But y'all, I NEED prayer time. I need time with The Lord - praising Him, learning from Him, being with Him. I have to fight for this time everyday because I am not going to want to pause and truly pray on my own strength. I have to seek Him for help. And He does help.
I was recently sharing with a sweet friend all of the steps we are taking in our lives to better our health (Whole 30 for NINETY days, vitamins/supplements, etc.), and she brought up prayer. "How is your prayer life?" The question hit me hard. Honestly, my prayer life is essentially non-existent. We literally have been spending hours a day in the kitchen making Whole30 compliant meals. We're reducing stressors left and right and decluttering our house on the weekends. These things are good. But not when compared to the amount of time I am spending praying, which is hardly any time at all. I am not spending time each day sitting in quiet, reading the Word, meditating on Scripture, and praising God. Praying should be such an integral part of my day. I usually only come to Him with quick requests throughout the day. He wants me to ask of Him, that isn't wrong, but my heart isn't wanting to actually be in His presence. Y'all, my prayer life isn't as healthy as my actual physical body is.
In the class Sam and I are taking, I have learned some practical steps in helping me with this Spiritual Discipline, because we do have to discipline ourselves to pray. We are prone to not want to do the very thing that we were made to do, be in God's presence. There is a very good interview with Tim Keller you can read at DesiringGod.org. He answers questions about prayerlessness and the importance of prayer. He also gives some very practical advice for helping develop a prayerful life. Additionally, the speaker who taught on Prayer during our development class shared with us that he uses a prayer schedule - each day of the week he has set aside a specific time to be in God's Word and in prayer for specific people. This does not mean he cannot or will not pray for something or someone else on a day not "designated" to them, but it gives structure and helps him stay disciplined. I have been trying to adopt the same practice.
I want my life to be marked by prayer. I want my kids to know that Mommy prays - for them and for others. I want prayer to be the most important part of our day.
