1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. — Corrie Ten Boom
Why should we pray when God knows our concerns and problems? He is omnipotent and omniscient. He is in control so, why should we pray and convey our needs to Him? Would God not move if we don’t articulate structured prayers? Would God ignore and forget about us if we don’t talk to Him? What does prayer do to us and what does it accomplish?
Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is an intimate conversation with the Lord who loves us unconditionally. There is no format or formal linguistics for prayer. It is a one-on-one conversation with the Creator of the Universe in our own style, language and mode. Prayer is not conveying our list of needs to God; it is the time we take to talk to our most trustworthy Father and Friend. Prayer is not like going to the bank to make withdrawals; it is like going on a ‘date’ with the love of our life. Prayer is simply spending quality time with God.
Dedicated time of prayer is our “daily date” with God and a continuous conversation throughout the day is how we “praying without ceasing”. The more we talk to a person the closer we will get to them. The more we will know about them and the more confident and comfortable we will be with them. Hence incessant prayer is just hanging out with Jesus.
Psychological and neuroscience researchers tell us that verbalizing our negative feelings and problems to a trusted friend or a therapist reduces stress, strengthens our immune system and reduces physical and emotional distress. Jesus is the best therapist and the most dependable friend who can be trusted with any issue. We can talk to Him about the small issues or the unbearable burdensome problems. Those who have a disciplined prayer life will be less stressed, emotionally strong and spiritually sturdy.
Prayer is a conversation; not a convenience store:
1. Therapist: Jesus is our Therapist who can change our reactions into resolutions. In prayer we verbalize our emotional pain, inhibitions and apprehensions to the One who is the answer to all our problems. We will walk out of our prayer closet with calm confidence like we will do after a therapist appointment. Prayer will put our emotions to rest and inculcate trust.
2. Trusted Friend: Jesus is our trusted friend. Keeping secrets is stressful and increases the risk of illness. Jesus is the trusted friend who will never let us down, backbite, bicker or backstab us. Prayer is a time of sharing and stress relieving appointments with Jesus.
3. Talking Buddy: Jesus is available to talk to us 24/7. No human can extend that support but Jesus. Making Him our talking buddy anytime, anywhere and at all times will help us to pray without ceasing.
Why pray? Prayer is our mode of conversation, not just a means of communication of our needs.
Psalm 119:164a I will praise you seven times a day.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, help me to train my heart to be connected with you 24/7. Amen.
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