Thoughts for Life: #22 Living Prayerfully

Alvin Vandergriend- Praying continually does not mean we are to do nothing but pray. It means that we live all of our hours and days so conscious of God that we are actually, at one level or another, keeping company with Him always.

It means walking and talking with God. When Enoch, an Old Testament hero of faith, "walked with God," it meant that God was his conscious companion in all of his daily activities (Genesis 5:22). (Google image, Prayer is keeping company with God) By Phil Yancey

When you travel with a friend, there's a lot to talk about: sights to see, experiences to share, and decisions to make. When you travel through life with God, there's just as much to talk about. And although you cannot physically see or touch God, He is really with you — a thinking, feeling, willing, communicating, listening Person.

Praying continually means making it a habit to talk to God about our everyday experiences. Repeated activities can become triggers for God-consciousness. The famous American general Stonewall Jackson once commented,

"I have so fixed the habit in my mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God's blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never take a letter to the post without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward, never change my classes in the lecture room without a minute's petition for the cadets who go out and for those who come in."

You probably already have some prayer triggers in your life; rising in the morning, sitting to eat a meal, or lying down to sleep. A friend of mine prays every time he gets behind the wheel of his car. Others have learned to pray for every person they meet, every needful situation that comes on the news, every time they enter their place of work, every time the phone rings, every time they hear a fire siren or see an accident, or every time they pass a church.

Praying continually means sharing our thoughts with God. Our minds never lie dormant. No matter what we are doing from morning till night, our minds are always working. The morning news, breakfast on the fly, traffic on the way to work, challenges on the job, dealing with children, connecting with a spouse, relaxing in front of the TV — all engage us mentally in some way. God wants to be in on our thoughts.

Praying continually also means sharing our feelings with God. Feelings are spontaneous inner reactions to things we are experiencing in life. God wants to be in on our feelings. That's why the Spirit prompted James to write, "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise" (James 5:13).

Try to develop the habit of filling your day with little prayers. Every fresh prayer will bring a sweet inflowing from God.

Let's pray-

Father, may we examine the "triggers" in our lives, which cause us to pray. May we find new ones to add to our daily praying. You are reaching out to us with great Love, and drawing us to Your Heart because You desire to fellowship with us. Thank You for this awesome reality!

Your being a God that interacts with us personally, is something that gives us pure joy. Help us invite Your Spirit to be involved in our thinking, feeling and our experiences.

Your enabling us to pray continually is not something we can do on our own, so please help us desire to be faithful in our praying. May we be concerned for ourselves, for family members, friends and neighbors, so that we can have an increased consciousness of You, to walk and talk with you daily through our praying.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

Ephesians 3:16 (KJV) “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”

Psalm 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Revelation 21:4 "And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

Quotes for today-

~ Charles Spurgeon- "Our Lord Jesus has gone within the veil as our 'high priest.' Now, a high priest who has gone within the veil has gone into the place of acceptance on our behalf. A Melchizedek high priest is one who has boundless power to bless and to save completely. Jesus Christ has offered one blood sacrifice for sin, namely Himself, and now He sits forever at the right hand of God the Father. Beloved, He reigns where our anchor has entered; we rest in Christ's finished work, His resurrection power, and His eternal kingship. How can we doubt this?"

~ Bethany Verrett- Ultimately, the Bible encourages believers to focus on eternal things. It is important to thank God for earthly blessings, but in order to always be thankful, there must be things to thank God for that do not rust, decay, or disappear. The way to always give thanks is to remember to thank God for His eternal gifts and promises.

Words of wisdom-

When we are encouraged to pray, may we realize that God is urging us, and that He'll be listening, because He feels our pain and knows all about our trials. His will is for us to come to Him for everything that concerns us, for it concerns Him, too. His plans for us are for our good and to bring glory to Jesus' name and His Kingdom.

Today's guest post-

The Blessing

Tom Toya-

"We gathered in the house twice a month for our small group. I often led worship–simple songs to an infinite Savior. Transparency, love, and unity marked our times together. And whenever we worshiped God, His presence filled the room."

Upcoming posts:

27th- Outpouring of Spiritual Life

Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

30th- #23 Hearing from Heaven
Alvin Vandergriend

12/2nd- #24 Praying the Ordinary

Alvin Vandergriend

4th- Once Again

Lee Forbes

The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,

located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,

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