Living the Surrendered LifeSample

Several years ago a friend of mine approached me at church with a question. “Will you do me a favor?” she asked. “I’ll certainly try,” was my reply. She began to tell me how her oldest friend had a newborn grandson who weighed less than 2 pounds. She said that there wasn’t a lot they could do for him except to hope he would grow and gain weight. “I wanted to know if you would pray for this baby when you pray for your son. The baby’s name is Noah, just like your son.” My heart sank and sank deep. Will I pray for this baby when I pray for my oldest son, Noah? I was very aware at this moment that I couldn’t remember when the last time was that I prayed for Noah or my other sons, for that matter, except for the occasional plea when their behavior was bad. But, I mustered up enough composure and managed to say, “I’d be glad to.” In your eyes, my confession above has either disqualified me from even embarking on the topic of prayer or it’s made you identify with me and want to know where to go from here. After what I’ve just shared, you might find it odd to know that years ago people used to call me a “prayer warrior.” What happened? Life happened. Husband. Kids. Jobs. Housework. Exhaustion. Ministry. Demands. Did I mention exhaustion? Can you relate? The King James Version of the Bible says to “pray without ceasing.” I decided to look up the word “ceasing” in the original Greek text and found that it meant “without intermission.” Don’t let that make you feel defeated. I believe that we can have ongoing communication with the Creator of the universe if we will seek Him with our whole hearts. Thankfully, that interaction with my friend recharged my prayer life. In fact, I am very aware of the power of prayer. I spent years on my knees in prayer over my once near death, yet now restored marriage. It’s now time for us to take what we believe, add some discipline and get on our knees. Action Steps I’ve shared my excuses for not praying. What are yours? What keeps you from spending time on your knees on behalf of others? Or better yet, when was the last time you just spent time praising God because He is worthy of it? Spend time today asking God to make you a person of prayer. Our very existence depends on our communication with our Heavenly Father.