Faith Basics: Prayer

I have never been someone who has spent hours and hours in prayer, though I really wish I was. I start to pray silently, and my mind starts to wander. I walk outside and pray aloud and for a while I am focused, but then nature draws me, and I find myself just walking and admiring the things God has made. I pray as I am going to sleep, but struggle to keep my mind on track. I try to pray first thing in the morning, but my mind keeps going to my to-do list.

This summer, I was very blessed to work at Austin Disaster Relief Network. The people there are some of the best prayer warriors I have ever met. They were amazing examples of people who lived out a life of unceasing prayer in a way that was authentic, not forced, not just a practice that they felt made them better.

I stood in a room of frazzled volunteers and watched as taking fifteen minutes of prayer and reciting scripture completely transformed everyone, including me, into a peaceful worker. I watched as a whole room prayed for an angry caller, and his anger melted away. I also saw how prayer took the burden from my heart and placed it back on Jesus.

Prayer should:

Be Unceasing: I am to pray constantly, taking everything to God in prayer. It reminds me who has the power, and who is in control.  It helps me keep my focus upward, not on the things of earth.

Be Full of Thanksgiving and Praise: It shouldn’t just be about what I need, it also supposed to be about praising God for who He is and what He has done.

Bring Peace: If we lay everything at Jesus’ feet, there is no reason for us to pick it up again.

Now, I am trying to learn to pray as I go to sleep for each member of my family, and stop throughout the day to lift people, situations, and thanksgiving to God.

Well, are you ready to join me? We are going back to the basics! Feel free to share your thoughts and/or struggles in the comments, or by using #FaithBasics.