By Doug Creamer
Praying
I love to spend time talking with God. I talk to Him throughout the day, when I am driving, walking, sitting on my front porch, and laying in bed. I want to invite Him into my daily life. Obviously, there are places and times when I can connect with God better than in other places. Walking the beach is an easy connection because all the distractions of daily life are removed. When I am going through a tough time or in a stressful moment it is hard to connect with God. Our emotional state can impact our connection.
It’s important to make the connection with God every day. I know…I have had those kinds of days when making that connection feels impossible. I’ve had those days that were so packed with things to do I almost have to remind myself to breath. Where does God fit into those days? How do we find time to connect with God when we don’t have any time to ourselves?
I believe we need to set aside time every day to pray and talk with God. One benefit is we can ask God for guidance on those crazy busy days. God can see our day and He can give us helpful ways to navigate the craziness that is waiting for us. He sees things we can’t. His ways are always higher and better than ours. I know on multiple occasions He has shown me things to do or say that changed things in such a positive way. So taking that time with Him can reduce the stress and make for a better day.
I have heard some people say that God knows everything: our past, present, and future, so if He already knows everything, why bother to pray? I think we pray because God wants to show us His love, kindness, and mercy. If we choose not to pray, not to ask, then we will miss our opportunity to receive His many blessings. We have to remember that He is our Heavenly Father and like the good, good Father that He is, He wants to bless us and meet our needs. He also wants to come alongside us and help us.
Here is another thing that I firmly believe: God sometimes chooses not to give us everything we think we need because He wants to walk with us through the challenges of life. God wants us to know Him as God our helper, healer, provider, and good loving Father. He likes to draw close to us, walk with us, and reveal Himself to us. I believe He allows us to struggle so we will turn to Him in our time of need. That way we will see Him as our Father.
One of our problems with seeing Him as Father comes when He says “no” to our requests. No is not bad because He sees how yes might be a bad thing for us. No can also be a temporary thing, like no for now. God wants us to grow and mature in our faith. That means that we have to learn things like trust, faith, and obedience. Those are tough lessons. The other thing He can do is draw us closer, which is what our Father really desires.
I believe we should express our wants and desires to God. He knows what they are because He knows everything about us. Then we need to walk in faith and trust. Prayer is really about building the most important relationship we will ever work on in our lives. It’s getting to know the heart of God: His deep love, mercy, and compassion. He then wants us to reflect that on the people in our lives. Then they can experience God’s goodness through us.
I want to encourage you to pray, to have a heart-to-heart conversation with God. Express your love, hopes, dreams, wants and needs. After you are done praying for yourself, take some time to lift up the people in your life. Ask God to bless and show His love to them. Ask God to heal and restore them. Ask God to meet their needs. Ask God to save them and their families. Ask God to send His angels to watch over them. Ask God to reveal His goodness and mercy to them. That is what God wants. He wants to draw close to us…all of us! When you pray those things, you are praying God’s heart and His deepest desire for all mankind. God wants us to pray and talk with Him as God, Father, and friend. Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
