When I was a child, I was taught to pray – Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord, my soul to take. Amen!  After this simple prayer I would ask God’s blessings on all my family members, the pets, grandmas, grandpas and aunts and uncles.  I might also include someone that I had a problem with that day. Things have changed since those innocent days of youth.

Now my prayer list is getting so long, I often fall asleep before I’ve completed all the of them. The older you get, the more folks you need to pray for. There are those with serious illnesses, those who need God in their life to make it complete, those who have strayed from Him, those who feel life isn’t worth living anymore. There are the aged, the young adults starting their families, the teens who face unheard of stress and temptation and the children who are depending on good examples in their lives. God invites us to talk to Him and it is good to go to Him with our troubles, but we should also go to Him when things are going well and give Him the thanks He deserves.

Dear, Lord, it’s a privilege to come to you in prayer.  Your Son made that possible, by shedding His blood for me, a sinner.  Thank you for giving us an open line to you at any time of the day or night. Even my inadequate words are interpreted, through your Holy Spirit, in the right way. You control every inch of my existence.  Amen!