Through out the Bible, prayer, or an address to God (as a petition), is used or encouraged as a means to express ourselves to God, in joy or agony. Prayer is more than just words, it is an action and a life posture towards God. It is the words and actions human beings employ in an effort to communicate with God. Interestingly, people don’t just “talk” to God, they “pray”. We “talk” to each other or ourselves, but it would seem “prayer” is something more than simply “talking”, at least in the way it is presented to us at church many times.

           Paul prayed incessantly, or without ceasing for the believers in Romans. We are also, ourselves, encouraged to find a posture before God where we pray without ceasing like in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It would also appear that rejoicing and a thankful heart are directly connected to our time devoted to prayer.

            In Ephesians 6 we are encouraged to pray in the Spirit with all supplication, meaning to talk to God with all your words, with all your heart, with all your feelings and intentions; to throw yourself into communication with God. 57% of the people in a survey said prayer saves the dying. When asked to imagine their own relatives being gravely ill or injured, only 20 percent of the doctors and other medical workers interviewed said God could reverse a hopeless outcome.

            i like these words by Margaret B. Gunness, “The power of thanksgiving and prayer is the constant renewal of perspective. Genuine thanksgiving and prayer opens our eyes. It extends our horizons. It sheds light into the darkness of our fears and our sorrows, our hopes and joys, our shame and our pride. It gives us new ways of seeing life and relationships, of understanding work and the cost of growing.”

            When you’re coming out of the store, as you’re headed to your car, you may see an elder person, a mom running in the store for something, a man pulling in for groceries … ask God to give you the words to pray for that person. You don’t have to run them down and do something dramatic, but right where you are, in the moment, just between you and God, with thanksgiving, pray for that person. What would it take to create in your heart an attitude of praying with a thankful heart for people as they came to mind during your day?

            Through a thankful heart and prayer, a simple foundation of deep faith and trust in God is established. We are encouraged to turn to Him in prayer and thanksgiving, not only in need, but also to rest in the arms of the Father — body and spirit.  

            Once, at Mother Teresa’s mission in Calcutta, India, the lady in charge of lunch that day came and told Mother Teresa that they had planned poorly and didn’t have enough flour to make the necessary food to feed all the children who would come to the mission to eat. They knew for most of the children it would be their ONLY meal that day. Mother Teresa told the woman, “Well then, go into the chapel and tell Jesus we have no food. That’s settled. Now let’s move on. What’s next?”

            Lo and behold, ten minutes later there was a ring at the door and Mother Teresa was called downstairs. A man she had never seen before was standing there with a clipboard. He addressed her saying “Mother Teresa, we were just informed that the teachers at the city schools are going on strike. Classes have been dismissed and we have 7,000 lunches we don’t know what to do with. Can you help us use them?”

            Trust God, tell him what’s on your heart. Pray for someone today as you go your way. Be thankful for recognition of the need of others knowing that if God had not given the recognition to you, it simply wouldn’t be there. i can guarantee, if you’ll thankfully pray and talk to God, soon you will begin to see a change and a little fire in your heart will begin to burn as never before. If you’ll pray for someone as you go your way, there will grow a confidence, rest, and assurance that something more than just life on this planet is happening. And be sure and persist in your prayers, it’s not merely a one and done. Prayer is not a one night stand. Make thanksgiving and prayer a habit, pray for someone today; it makes a difference and brings a focus in their lives and yours that will surely surprise you.

            Would God be someone else if we didn’t pray? No. Would God hate if we didn’t beg God to love? No. Would God ignore an illness or marriage unless we remembered to pray and did so fervently? No. It is God’s nature to love, to show mercy, to forgive, and to redeem. God is not manipulated because we pray or because we don’t.

            What, then, do our prayers do? At one level, they are like a child’s cry for a parent’s help. They just burst forth. We see a need, and we call to God. We feel a pain, and we call to God.

            The positive, radical and transforming impact of one person’s choosing to love another cannot be fully known, but it is sufficient reason to pray and give thanks to God for His abundant mercy which He liberally extends to us.

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries