Spontaneous prayer is one of my favorite things to talk about and to engage in. It can happen at any time and in any place. To be honest, I try to make my entire life a prayer. I have ongoing conversations with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit all the time. I’m always surprised to hear that there are people who believe in God that don’t pray. Some claim they don’t have any time to pray, others say they don’t know how to pray, and still others just don’t find it necessary to pray because God knows everything anyway. But as I talked about in Day 26: The Prayer Process, if we want to have a relationship with God, we have to pray. We have to set aside time for prayer but we also have to simply connect with him in the everyday experiences that we have.

Day 28: Spontaneous Prayer

I loved this chapter. There were so many great tidbits of inspiration and hope. When we think about all the conversations in the Gospels as prayers- whether they are holy prayers or selfish ones- we can start to look at the Gospels in a completely different manner. Not only that, but if we look at those conversations as prayers, it can change how we look at what we say every day too. How are our conversations prayers?

Matthew Kelly tells us that if we don’t set aside time for prayer each day that our conversations with God throughout the day will also end. I have found this to be accurate within my own life. I also find that if I don’t pray with purpose, that is, if I don’t pray in thanksgiving or if I neglect the needs of others my prayers will become very self-centered or just a list of grievances.

The first Christians can show us how we should pray to Christ. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Lord, open my eyes, so that I may see.” “My Lord and my God!” “Lord, have mercy on my son.” We often miss the prayers that are present in the Gospels because we focus solely on formal prayer, but the Gospels are rich with examples of faith and prayer.

Point to Ponder: God is always at my side to help me make the best decisions.

Matthew Kelly wrote that Jesus can work miracles with the little we have. I loved the bible verse he shared that said, “Bring me what you have” (Matthew 14:17). So often we think to be a person of great faith or an amazing prayer warrior that we have to have it all figured out. There is nothing further from the truth! Christ works with what we have to give him. He takes our prayers and our faith and he multiplies them in ways we could never imagine. He turned water into wine, opened the eyes of the blind, walked on water, calmed the seas, and rose from the dead… why do we think he can’t perform miracles in our lives? He cherishes even the smallest prayer whether it is said in hope, in faith, in desperation, or in sorrow. He simply wants us to come to him and share our lives with him so that he can work miracles within our lives.

God will always be at our side but if we never hold a conversation with him we won’t ever be able to hear his voice or get direction from him. We can’t make the best decisions without him. We have to include him in every facet of our lives.

Verse to Live: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This is probably one of the easiest and most difficult verses to live. It is easy for me to pray constantly. I can find God in everything around me and I love to sit and just converse with him as I drive, as I wash dishes, as I mow the lawn, or as I sit in the bathtub. For me it is natural to include him in everything I do and to seek out his comfort and his companionship.

I think the hardest part of living this verse is the second half- “give thanks in all circumstances”. I have been through some very horrible things in my life and while I have been knee-deep in those events, well, it’s hard to give thanks. Often is it when I look back on what happened that I can find the good or where God was present. It is easier then to give thanks. But I think this is where many of us struggle. I think the importance of this verse is that even when we feel alone, God is still working within our lives. Even when we are faced with what seems like insurmountable problems or sorrows, God is there. We simply need to call him and cling to him.

Question to Consider: What are you most grateful for today?

I think I am most grateful that my family is back together. Our son had separated himself from us for a while and he is now back in our lives. That was very difficult for me as I never expected that any of my children would ever be away from me {I expect physical separation but emotional and spiritual separation can be devastating!). It gave me a very personal understanding of how God must feel when any one of his children turn their backs on him. I am thankful not only that our family is once again whole, but that I was given the opportunity to get a little glimpse into what the Father’s heart must go through as a result of our sins and our pride.

Your Turn: Is it easy for you to pray spontaneously? Do you often have conversations with God? Why or why not? How do you feel your life might change if you include God in everything you do?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for being at my side even when I forget you are there.