I remember as a new Christ-follower, hearing a sermon on prayer. The preacher's text was Matthew 26:40; “What! Could you not watch with Me for one hour? These were the words of Jesus Christ to His disciples because they feel asleep while praying with Him.
I am not sure how the disciples felt but after hearing the preacher scold us for not paying more; I felt pretty guilty! I mean give me a break! I could pray for everything under the sun in 10 minutes and then I couldn't think of anything (or anyone) to pray for.
There is no question that the average Christ-follower struggles for a meaningful, effective prayer life. Then we come to 1 Thessalonians 5:7 "pray without ceasing" and that just adds more guilt to our burden. How can I possibly pray continually?
This week I got fresh insight into how to pray continually. I was sitting in Doctor's Care and I looked at all the people waiting with me and I thought; I will probably never see these people again and I wondered where they would spend eternity. So I bowed my head and silently prayed for their salvation and their healing.
If you have a problem finding things to pray about; I encourage you just to look around.
- Last night on Facebook, I saw where a Florida State Trooper was murdered during a routine traffic stop. I prayed for his family and for the man who committed the crime. Facebook is an excellent source of hurting people who need prayer.
- Watching the news is an invaluable source of prayer.
- Just be observant. Pray for that homeless person pushing their grocery cart. Pray for that harried mother in the store with several children. Pray for your fellow employee who has shared their struggles.
We need a consistent time when we pray but prayer doesn't need to be confined to a certain time of day. Nor does it need to be limited to a magical length of time.
You can live a life of prayer.
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