It seems like we can find all kinds of reasons NOT to pray: We don't feel like it. We don't know how. It does no good. We don't have time. Maybe the real obstacle to prayer is that we do not understand what it is. Prayer is not a genie-in-a-bottle make-3-wishes-and-all-your-dreams-come-true solution to all the problems of life. Prayer is not magic. It is a conversation with God. And one of the cool things about God is that you can talk to God any time, anywhere, and any way you know how.
When I was in elementary school, I was probably one of the worst softball players ever to walk out on the field, so the coach would put me way, way out in the outfield, where I could do the least damage. It would get kind of dull out there by myself, so I would talk to God. Too many years have passed for me to remember what I might have said, but I do recall gazing up at clouds and listening to the wind and watching dandelions in great fascination. Stopping to admire God's handiwork is a great way to pray. It's always good to say, "Thank you."
An easy way to work prayer into your daily life is to pray wherever you are. If you are waiting to see the doctor, pray. Pray for the other patients in the waiting room. Pray for the doctor. Pray for medical researchers. Pray for those who cannot afford medical care. If you are waiting to pick up your kids at school, pray for students to make good choices. Pray that teachers will be kind and wise and alert. Pray for the kids who cannot afford school supplies. If you are standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, pray for the cashier. Pray for the safety of the stockroom boy. Pray that those folks whose faces are splashed across the covers of tabloid magazines will be good role models.
One of the things I have tried to teach myself to do is to pray about annoyances. When something irritates me and I start to complain about it, I tell myself to stop and pray. For example, instead of getting frustrated about a train making me late to a meeting, I can pray for the hard-working men and women who make the products that the freight cars are carrying.
If we consciously make prayer a priority, we can find countless reasons to pray every day. We can stop to smell the roses and offer prayers of gratitude to God for all the good things in our lives. We can cry out for help when the car won't start or the dog is lost or all of our teachers load us up with homework on the very first day of class.
If you really want to pray without ceasing, pay attention to anything that "grabs" you. If a commercial makes you cry, pause for a moment and ask yourself why. If you find yourself singing along to a song on the radio, stop for a moment and think it. What is it about that song that speaks to you? Pay attention to anything that moves you or angers you or confuses you or brings forth any strong reaction. You may discover that God is trying to get your attention.
Which, of course, only matters if you believe that God has something helpful to contribute to your situation. In Companions to Christ, Adele Gonzalez notes that most of us are pretty sure we've got things under control. We do not pray because, truth is, we really do not want anyone's help, not even God's. We would really rather do it ourselves. Because, if we do everything ourselves, then we can control the outcome. Or we think we can. And we desperately want to control the world around us. That is one of the reasons why prayer is such a challenge (Companions in Christ, 127).
"In prayer we are called to let go, to surrender ourselves to God who loves us and knows us in ways we cannot even begin to imagine. Letting go is difficult ... because we do not trust that God's answers to our prayers ... will be what we want them to be. As Christians, we sometimes claim that we trust completely in God's ways. Yet many of us try to tell God exactly what we want, as well as when and how we want it." (Companions in Christ, 127).
But that is not surrender. And surrendering to God's will is what God asks of all who seek to follow Jesus. It is not easy. It was not easy for Jesus either! On the night he was arrested, Jesus prayed. He knew what was coming. He understood EXACTLY what was about to happen. And he was not happy about it. Jesus did not want to die. He certainly did not want to die as a criminal. Who would? No sane person would. So Jesus begged God to find another way. Jesus cried out to God repeatedly. Jesus poured out his heart to God, but Jesus STILL did not get what he wanted. And sometimes we don't either. We cannot control God. Prayer is not some secret weapon we use to manipulate God into doing what we want. Sometimes, we pour out our hearts to God, and it may feel as if nothing has changed. Jesus was still arrested. My mom still had cancer. The love of your life may walk out the door.
But, when we spend time with God, we are reminded how much God loves us, how good God really is, and how faithful God has always been. And that makes it a little easier to follow Jesus and surrender.
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