Prayer Starts With

Prayer starts not just with the ticking away of minutes until the the published hour that we are obligated to begin our dialogue with God has arrived. No. Prayer is not bound by the hands on the clock, though regularity is a must so that our plans support the very important place that prayer deserves.

It begins actually in the days before our scheduled sessions, as we study our Bibles and meditate on His Word. We have to “show up” for our personal time for Him. If it's not already a joy – something we eagerly look forward to – it soon will become just that, for He delights in revealing Himself to us.

How do you receive an honored house guest? Do you put off your time together, or show no interest in conversing and sharing opinions? I hope not!

If you think about it at all, how could you not look forward to entertaining the Creator of the universe, and knowing His thoughts on our encounters with His enemy, or His joy in our telling of the sharing of the gospel?

As the time approaches for our get-together, we find that we have growing concerns that relate to our families, our churches, our jobs, out cities and our nation. We even have personal issues that concern our own need for righteousness in a dark and dangerous world. We have questions and need answers. We are weak, and need strength. We are not holy, but need to be. As the week goes on, our lists grow longer and we feel the need for God to answer our corporate prayers, as there is power in numbers. There is power in unity. There is encouragement in many voices lifted up to petition God for the things we might refer to as “ours” as well as “mine”. Together we offer thanks and praise. We are cleansed with confession....

Prayer is what we do alone with God, and it's what we do together with God and others. What began as an exercise will become a staple of life. Like breathing, we do it without stopping and without thinking we do it without reasoning.