Everyday Prayer

Everyday Prayer ~ Episode 251

Did you know that our lives can turn into everyday prayer? We can turn a life of struggle into a life of rejoicing with the idea that we can hold onto the joy of a truly spiritual life.

Once again we have a wonderful sponsor for our network and that is a math company for kids of all ages. Visit CTCMath.com a math curriculum from the comfort of your home with self-paced lessons. This is one not to miss. Share this with a friend and thanks to CTC Math as our sponsor.

Years ago a good friend of mine discusses how she prayed all day long. She had nine kids at the time and I could not believe she had time for so much prayer. In my mind the only people who prayed like that were in a convent somewhere and had the time for an immersion of prayer. But us regular folks? Not so much.

We are busy with all of the things we do. I always thought, as a young mom that I would have so much time when my kids grew up, in fact I worried that I would be bored or not know what to do with all of my time. Now I don’t know where my time goes! Sure, I work from home in my own business and I have some time set aside for the projects I want to tackle, but my days are still filled and busy.

Many of us waste time and this can be something we look at and chose to do something about. How can you pray everyday? Easy. As my friend with the houseful of kids says, “Jesus is always on my lips.” She said she’d pray while folding laundry. As she was folding a particular child’s shirt she prayed for them. While cooking dinner, she prayed for her family, while vacuuming, and even she said while going up and down the stairs. She said instead of asking the kids to retrieve something she forgot upstairs she’d use that time to pray.

Living a life of prayer can be a choice. It doesn’t have to be anything drawn out or inspired, but it should be heartfelt. Can we pray by reading the Bible? Yes! Can we pray while listening to praise and worship music in the car? Yes! And we can pray as my friend does while doing laundry.

Prayer, like faith, is a gift and it is a choice. We can love one another as God loves us. John 13:34-35 [Read on air.]

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This calls to mind something my mother use to say, “How do you act when no one is watching?” God sees all things, he knows our hearts and he knows our motivations… and when we pray we do it for ourselves since God is God and nothing we can do earns us salvation, nor does it change God. Yes, our salvation should be worked out through fear and trembling in Philippians 2:10-12 we read so that at the name of Jesus  every knee should bend,     in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess  that Jesus Christ is Lord,     to the glory of God the Father.

What I am saying here is that praying changes us. It makes us focus on what is right and just and what is important. We trust in the Lord to hear us and we praise Him in all things. We can live lives that are joyfully worshipping Him or lives that strive only for selfish purposes. This past 40 days of Lent – the days before Easter were probably the hardest but the most fulfilling than any other time of my life. I had a specific intention and was praying daily for it – and the truth is I struggled as I was worrying about my son in the Army Rangers Program (he passed in 62 days without recycling, meaning doing the challenge again which was a miracle). While praying I learned to trust in the Lord, I learned to journal faithfully daily and keep the Lord as the focus of my day.

It is amazing how we can focus on what is important when there is a need. But what about the times when there is not an immediate need? Sure we always need prayers for something in our life but when it is not major we tend to slack off.

Praying daily is keeping the Lord as the focus, it is concentrating on what we can do for the Lord not what He can do for us. It is sacrifice yes, but it is freedom from slavery and sin, because when we are in His Word, and focused on living lives that are pleasing to the Lord who always sees us at our best and at our worse that we can begin to grow. Divine light is given to us in prayer, it illuminates our minds and our hearts. Praying in our daily lives as we walk the dog or take out the trash is a sign of spiritual growth.

Currently, I’m taking care of an elderly dog and that means accidents. I am praising God for the fact that I have tile floors and thanking Him for the blessings of the chore. Do I want this chore? Of course not! When we are filled with grace and the love to serve others, even an animal it is a selfless love that we can pass on and in this way show others the love of God. We can’t do this unless we are filled up to the brim and that means praying in the mundane and the daily struggles and joys of life.

Everyday prayer transforms a mundane life into a life of joy. We see this in the lives of the saints. We read about St. Therese of Lisieux, who has many life changing quotes. Here is a link to a page that has more, but a few are:

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice here by a smiling look there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” She didn’t say all for God – but we know that God is synonymous with love!  She also said, “Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.”For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

Mediate on these quotes and think about the truth in her words. She was a simple nun, living out her life in extreme poverty yet her life contained riches beyond compare. How can we live our lives? Let’s start with everyday prayer. That is your challenge for this week, how can you infuse everyday prayer into your daily walk with the Lord? While doing your chores and those things that no one else sees but are important nonetheless. In our simpleness, we will find the grace to live holy lives. Praise God, now and forever!

The post Everyday Prayer appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.