Do you pray on a daily basis?  Maybe you pray before meals or upon going to sleep each night.  Maybe your prayers are sporadic and often forgotten.  Did you know that even calling out God’s name is in effect a prayer? I’m not talking about the misuse of God’s name when people flippantly banter it about as a means of letting of steam or showing anger. That would be a whole different blog.

What I’m talking about is our very intimate relationship with God, in which we can simply say His name and know that He hears us.  When we can know at a moment’s notice that He is actively involved in the exchange.

A prayer is really that – a conversation with God.  We come to Him in times of trouble.  We lay our requests before Him.  When we feel alone, we know that He’s there to listen.  When we pray, we’re opening the door to a two sided discussion.  We may not always get the answers we want.  We might not even get an answer, but even when that happens, we can be confident that God is participating in the dialogue.  He may answer immediately.  He may have a different solution in mind. He might even tell us to wait.

The fact that He’s on the other side of this repartee, listening, planning, analyzing, processing and looking at every detail, should give us great consolation in any of our prayers.  To think that we have that ability to simply call on His name and He will answer in some way, is mind boggling.

Dear, Holy, God, my Heavenly Father,

I come to you today asking that you would intercede in all the madness, pain, sadness and depression facing our world today.   This is a big prayer, God, and I feel silly asking such a thing, yet you are the One who created this world.  You gave breath to every living thing. You control all things, including the weather, the time, the aging process, the life and death involving our time here, our comings and goings, our governing bodies and all things.  There is an incomprehensible reason that you continue to love us.  Because of that undying love, I pray that you will hear my prayer.

We try so hard to manage things alone, when all we need to do is ask you for help and trust that you will give it.  Increase my faith in your power.  Help me to accept your will in all cases.  Also give me the fortitude to press on to eternal life with you, when we can continue our talks face to face.  Amen!