It
went something like this:
nowIlaymeodwntosleepIpraytheLordmysoultokeepifIshoulddiebeforeIwakeIpraytheLordmysoultotakeGodblessmomanddadandbrothersandgrandmasandandgranddadsandauntsandunclesandcousinsandeveryoneIknowandlovepleaseodn’tletourhouseburndownoranythinghappentoanyofusthankyouLordAmen.
It
took me about ten seconds to say this prayer from beginning to end, and I
couldn’t fall asleep if I didn’t pray it; I believed that if I didn’t say this
prayer, my family and all my loved ones would be open to any and all horrific
events waiting to pounce on our unprayed heads.
Praying
was my safety net.
I
prayed this prayer each night until I considered myself too old to pray myself
to sleep. As I grew older, I prayed for only the things I wanted, usually under
desperate circumstances: Please God let
me get an A on this test; please God let there be no school tomorrow; please
God don’t let me get in trouble; please God don’t let them find out about this;
please God keep us safe.
Then
somewhere along the line I felt bad for using God; I was praying, but rarely
thanking. I was asking, but rarely giving. I felt demanding and hypocritical,
and stopped praying altogether. I
stopped praying at a time when I could have used a safety net more than I’d
like to admit.
As
an adult, I started praying again as I went back to church and learned again
that God is always there for each of us.
Even then I only prayed for things that I felt were important, and
usually only at the bequest of others: Please God take away her cancer; please
God show him your light; please God save this baby. I still didn’t pray for myself much, and most
certainly I didn’t ask God for minor things like finding my keys or having
enough money to pay all the bills. I figured
that was my responsibility, and why bother God with my personal nonsense?
Then
I started reading the Bible. I read that
God wants us to pray throughout the day for everything (1 Thessalonians
5:17). I heard that some people do “breath
prayers” where they pray a word or phrase to God as they inhale and
exhale. We can pray every day, every
hour, every minute, every second. God
wants us to try and overwhelm him with our prayers. God wants us to pray for everything (Philippians
4:6; Ephesians 6:18)
And
this includes praying to find lost keys, for the traffic light to turn green,
for the front door to be locked when you’re at the mall and can’t remember if
you locked it before you left.
I
still pray for the sickness to heal, the baby to be saved, the friend’s heart
to soften. I have seen enough answers to
prayers that I know God is listening. I
have been in awe of God’s answers more times in my daily prayers than I ever
thought a person could.
Because
of my praying, I have learned to trust God, his word, and his plan. I have relied on him for things that
previously I thought were trivialities and couldn’t be important to him. What I learned is that nothing about us is
trivial to God, and if we pray to him, he will listen.
*******
Always be joyful. Never
stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who
belong to Christ Jesus. 1
Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
Don’t worry about
anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what
you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Pray in the Spirit at
all times and on every occasion. Stay
alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)