Prayer as a Partnership

When I was at the nail salon getting a pedicure recently I had an opportunity to chat with the young lady sitting next to me. Our conversation quickly took a quick turn from the weather to life. Before I knew it she was sharing how discouraged and depressed she was feeling. She told me how everything fell apart in 2016 and unfortunately her 2017, was not looking much better. She had lost her job, went through a divorce, now shared custody with her two children and only gets to see them every other week. She didn’t see how life could ever take a turn for the better.

Once she finished I began to share how I felt it was not by accident we were sitting next to each other. We talked about how we were not alone and we have a helper, God the Father, to get us through the twists and turns of life. I found out that she used to go to church and used to pray about everything, but lately, God had honestly had not crossed her mind to reach out to for help and guidance. After a few more minutes of getting to share some words of encouragement, I saw a twinkle of hope and sparkle in her eyes and a smile began to emerge on her face. She left saying, “I agree it was not by accident our paths crossed.”

I can’t imagine going through life without God’s help. Prayer has become my lifeline and staying connected with Him all day, every day has helped to give me the ability to ride the ebb and flow of life. Prayer has become an easy, natural way of life for me, like breathing.

I have heard it said that “Prayer is not something we have to do; it is something we get to do.” How true that is. Prayer is the way we partner with God to see His plans and purposes come to pass in our lives and in the lives of those we love. Prayer also allows us to share our hearts with Him, to listen for His voice, and to know how to discover and enjoy all the great things God has for us.

Remember to take time to prayer. Allow prayer to help you stop wasting time on concerns, bad decisions and unnecessary activities. Prayer helps us to be wise stewards of time because it…

• Eliminates worry and anxiety (see 1 Peter 5:7).

• Invites God into our activity (see Psalms 37:5).

• Produces peacefulness (see Philippians 4:7).

• Provides timely direction (see Psalms 4:6).

• Opens doors of opportunity (see Colossians 4:2-6).

• Prevents wrong decisions (see James 1:5).

This start of the New Year is a good time to incorporate best practices for your life. Make prayer a priority every time. Learn to pray in the bad times and the good times. Let it become as natural for you as breathing.

“Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreat.” Ephesians 6:18 AMPC

A strong prayer life isn’t going to happen overnight, but when we make it a priority and allow it become a daily part of our routine, it will become strong over time just like a muscle that is exercised daily.

Blessings,

Cindy