My day went on, busy at work. Working in a church, I am blessed to have many opportunities to share the highs and lows in people's lives. A blessing, I was reminded that very day, that can be a burden at times. Like most blessings, this beautiful gift of sharing in others joys and sorrows, becomes a burden when not handled properly. When I try and carry it alone. When I forget that God wants me to turn it all over to Him. Many times I have reminded someone, "What you need to do is pray. Turn it over to God, lift it up in prayer. He'll take care of you." How often do I give advice that I forget to follow myself? Then again, I thought of Lucy. I thought of her dedication, her commitment to the things she thinks are important. If only I could make and keep that commitment to prayer. An action that is probably the single most important thing in my life. An action that gives me comfort and peace, that keeps me sane. An action that admittedly, at times, gets relegated to those few minutes at night between the moment my head hits the pillow and I fall asleep. What if we all made a commitment to prayer? Not just thought to ourselves "I need to turn this over to God", but actually did it? Then what if we went a step further and not only turned our burdens over to God in prayer, but actually felt confident that yes, He will take care of them. Could you feel so confident, knowing that God is in charge, that He has got your back, that you could stop worrying about whatever it is you prayed for in the first place? That is exactly what we are charged to do as Christians. God loves us, clearly. He's there for us. He's got this. Let it go. Whatever it is in your life, the thing that you are worried about most right now, lift it up. Hand it over. Let God have your back. Remember we are never alone. Ever. Let us all try and have the same commitment as the most awesome third-grader I know. Surely if she can do it, so can we.
John Wesley says this about prayer "God's command to "pray without ceasing" is founded on the necessity we have of his grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more subsist one moment without it, than the body can without air."
Wow. Our soul needs prayer just as our body needs air. Those who lead a prayerful life, or maybe more often those who don't, know this to be true. I think prayer is a lot like forgiveness. More beneficial for the person offering the prayer, than the person for whom the prayer is offered. Don't get me wrong, I believe in the power of prayer to heal those whom we pray for. Read one of my earlier posts on the subject. However, in my experience, it has been so healing for me to lift up the people I know who are in need of prayer so that God can take care of them, and I know that it's not up to me to do it alone. I know I don't have to worry anymore. Blessing vs. burden. Prayer makes all things a blessing. Talking to God, working out what His plan is for us, especially when we don't understand it, is crucial. God can help us see the blessing in everything. So, pray. Pray in your car, while you're at work, at bedtime, in the grocery store. I teach the kids at the church, you can pray anywhere, anytime, anyway you want. The most important thing is to be in conversation with God. It is life for your soul.
