Prayer

Don't we work really hard to make everything complicated? I just did an internet search on prayer. Want to guess how many results came up? Hundreds? Thousands? Try 73,600,000! Yep, you read that right 73 MILLION 600 THOUSAND!!!!

Now, none of would say that prayer is optional. Jesus took time to pray. He went off by himself and prayed. He took the time to teach his twelve disciples to pray. In Mathew 6:5, Jesus says, "When you pray....." not IF you pray, but "WHEN." Okay, not a ground breaking revelation. But, still true. We are called to pray, to be in fellowship with our Father. I Corinthians 7:5 tells us to devote ourselves to prayer.

Prayer is defined as communication with God. When I communicate with a friend, I talk and listen. Sometimes I fear my prayer may be to God like my trip today to the grocery store with my son. Josiah talked NONSTOP. He must have said "mommy" 187 times! It started every single sentence. He asked question after question. He nagged for item after item.....hmmmm. Do I do that to God? Are my prayers just lists some days? God, I want 1,2,3,x,y,z....and so forth?

I know that just products with Spiderman on them are not the best choice for Josiah. He needs fruits and vegetables, protein, carbohydrates. Some of everything. So, I have to say, "no." And he whines and asks why. Is that how I sound to God? Do I ask and ask and then whine when I don't get my way? I am embarrassed to admit that I do this more often than I would like to acknowledge. But, when He tells me, his child, no, might it not be for my own good? Or maybe He wants me to slow down and listen instead of just make request after request.

I do know this. God wants relationship with me. And I have to be willing to communicate with Him in order for this relationship to grow.

8When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Rev. 5:8....our prayers our incense unto the Lord