What needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer! – Joseph M. Scriven
It never ceases to amaze me how just 10 minutes of prayer time can change my entire day. There is nothing quite as effective to lift my spirit, change my perspective, reduce my anxiety or comfort my pain as spending time in prayer.
It also never ceases to amaze me that, despite knowing this, it still isn’t always my first instinct to pray when I feel overwhelmed. Sometimes it takes a significant amount of time during which I worry, pout, sulk, or plot before I finally remember that Paul was right when he wrote:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
When we pray, God speaks to us. Sometimes with a thought or revelation, sometimes with an answer to our situation, but more than anything, I find that God answers with comfort, peace, joy or strength in our hearts.
God desires nothing more than for us to include Him in every aspect of our lives, and when we do, He responds. Not always in the way we hope or expect, but always with a listening ear and His arms wide open.
I want to leave you today with a few lines of one of my favourite hymns What a Friend we have in Jesus:
What a privilege to carryEverything to God in prayer!O what peace we often forfeit,O what needless pain we bear,All because we do not carryEverything to God in prayer!
