SOMETIMES PRAYER SEEMS DAUNTING

24/7 prayer? How is that possible when I don't even know what to say?

Photo by youssef naddam on Unsplash

SOMETIMES PRAYER SEEMS DAUNTING

Some people seem very prayerful!
Sometimes I find that intimidating,
I feel inadequate by comparison;
My prayer life isn't quite the 24/7 I'd like it to be!

                              (pause)

"Pray without ceasing!" 
Enthuses St Paul.
Well, I suppose I'm thankful
for those who do -
I'm sure their prayers keep me and others going
when we can't pray.

Because sometimes
prayer seems impossible!

But maybe that's because
I think of prayer as words.

But what if it isn't?

What if sometimes prayer is action -
offering what we're currently doing
to Him?

Hmmm...
come to think of it,
that might limit what I feel I can do.
Either that, or I only offer some things to God...
and hope the rest are hidden.
But if I'm to pray without ceasing, 
I might need to rethink some of my activities!

                            (pause)

And what if prayer is also simply being
with God? 
Aware that He is Present
even when we can't sense Him.

No need for words
or even apology for their absence.

                            (pause)

But...
what if even those ideas seem impossible?
That's when we need to know -
God understands,
He really, really does.

He will hold us
whether we feel it or not.

And if we don't even want that?
Well, He is also very, very patient.

                            (pause)

So, let's be honest,
be real
with God.

He knows our hearts
He'll wait till we're ready
And maybe, one day,
we won't just have a prayer-filled life,
we'll have a prayer-fuelled life!
 
                            (pause)

A prayer-fuelled life?
Interesting.
Perhaps that's worth waiting for?
But how can that work?

It's because prayer is a two-way street.

It's not just us focused on God
It's God giving to 
and communing with...
US!!

                         (pause)

However...
we often need to give Him our gunk first;
the stuff that's weighing us down,
draining us.

We needn't be ashamed
of having that gunk
God knows we're liable
   to collect it
   to think it
   even to want to hold onto it.

He's waiting for us to
offload
on Him.

                          (pause)

And when we've made room 
He'll replace the gunk
with 
Himself - 
His Embrace!

That may sound a bit useless 
but God's Embrace 
   lifts us up
   strengthens us
   supports us
   gives us hope and a future.

                      (pause)

So prayer fuels our lives...
because God responds!

Sometimes He responds
through other people,
sometimes directly through His Spirit -
He finds a way to re-fuel us.

God always responds to our approach -
and He's always delighted!

Yes, God is delighted by our approach
however tentative we are,
however much gunk we need to give...
He is utterly delighted!