Pray Seriously

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. – Acts 1:14

(Photo by Karma Shuford -copyrighted, 2007)

A favorite catch phrase for Christians is, “I’ll pray for you.” It’s become something we say, when we don’t know what else to do. There’s nothing wrong with telling someone we’ll keep them in our prayers however, telling and doing are two different things.

When someone asks us to pray it’s because they are seeking and more than likely, seeking desperately. Agreeing to pray is something we should take seriously. I chuckled the other day when a sweet friend sent me an email and asked me to pray for him. I re-read his email and then immediately typed him a prayer. Within moments he was emailing back saying it was the first email prayer he’d received. He jokingly remarked it was a little weird but as he moved through the prayer, he found himself truly praying with me. Sometimes a prayer request needs to be immediate. If his concerns were serious enough for him to send me a special email, then his heart was crying for resolution.

Jesus never hesitated to pray. It was one of the first things on his agenda. Time, and time again He sought refuge in the solitude of His prayer life. There He found patience, love, and persistence to continue. Even until His last agonizing breath, Christ was in prayer.

Learning to take prayer seriously is the beginning of a long and in-depth relationship with God. When we develop our time from rigid and uncomfortable, into a relaxed and dependant time with the Father, our lives change. Talking to God should be as easy as talking to your best friend.

When we’re asked to pray, it doesn’t mean we fall to our knees in an animated and long prayer. It simply means that as we pray we lift that person before the Lord, trusting in His will. From arrow prayers to long conversations, the point is that we pray, and we with a heart of sincerity. It’s an honor and a privilege when someone trusts us enough to ask for our prayers. Lift them before the Father with sincerity and compassion. Pray seriously.

Prayer: Lord, may we remain faithful in our prayer life. May we pray without ceasing.