It seems we all have that one friend that when we are on the phone or together over coffee just talks….. there is not a break in their speaking to allow us to even respond. Or am I the one who is the one who chats and chats without pause. Perhaps. Each one of us has times when we go on and on and on. Eventually, we tune out others that don’t converse but spew. We might even call them tiresome.
God doesn’t feel negative about us when we in our prayer don’t shut up so we can listen to Him and let Him wash over us. Prayer should be more conversational than a list of wants or us filling up all the space with our words. Prayer is an intimate moment spent in relationship with one another.
Pastor Rich said there are three ways we should come to God in prayer.
First we should come to Him as a child. He is our father who has a word for us. Oh how I wish I could here my earthly father’s voice once more. Children love to hear their father’s voice of encouragement and support. God has those for us if we will be silent in our time with Him.
Second come to Him as a spouse. The church is God’s bride and we are the church. We live in the same home and share the same bed after marriage because we long to be in close proximity and intimate with the one we love. That is how God longs to spend time with us. Reaching out His hand hoping we will stretch ours back toward Him. Ron and I can go on a drive in silence and it is a treasure. When we were young I worried that silence was awkward or distant. Now I see clearly that being together in silence is a level of comfort that comes with spending time in each other’s presence continuously over the years. Prayer can be silent and loving.
Third spend time with your friend in prayer. God sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. His presence is like a trusted, lifelong friend. One you turn to when you need to be lifted up or when you just want to share joy from a simple thing. Picking up the phone or sending a thought keeps us connected. Someone said that they don’t pray for over twenty minutes but that they don’t go twenty minutes without praying. I am aware that my friends would feel bombarded if I checked in every twenty minutes but Jesus is always present and only a whisper away.
What we don’t want to do is treat our prayer life as if we were giving a bad review on our circumstances or like ordering up from Amazon. Prayer is about being in relationship with the one we love and the one who loves us. Time spent together is a precious thing.
1 Thessalonians 5:7-8 Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Being thankful in all circumstances is most difficult when you are in the storm. But looking back after the sun comes out you can see the silver lining even in the devastation. Losing my Ryan and then my Hector to suicide knocked me down both times. Ryan show himself almost thirteen years ago. Hector sat on a train track only last December. Staying in prayer, God reminded me that I can rest and grieve and not be okay. But through both losses God has given Ron and I the opportunity to be there for others who have lost a loved one, especially a child. He has given me this blog to share my heart, my faith and my stories. Writing is healing and now there is a book of my journey through grief. What Susi and I found out not until the final edit was that year eight after losing Ryan I didn’t post once about losing him. My loss is real and there is a missing of him that I can’t avoid. But my grief is no longer the constant focus that it was when he died. Hector has not been gone even a year. God still is here loving me through this loss. At times, I need to just be still and others I need to pound my fists and scream. God patiently, lovingly embraces me through all of it. My mantra this past year is Fill me up for I can pour out. My sweet grandgirls are missing their dad and stepdad and I need to be here for them as God is here for me. Clinging to each other is a comfort. Praying together is a joy.
In Him,
Joyful
10-27-22
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