Thinking in Prayer

From an early age I wanted to be a pastor. At the young age of ten, some of my uncles and my grandpa were encouraging me to consider a pastoral vocation. There were many appealing things about ministry, but also some that were very challenging. I was excited to share the message of Jesus with people, but remembered that prayer was always one of my most challenging things.

I would stand in church and listen to the prayers being rattled off like names in a classroom during attendance. It seemed so challenging to stand there every Sunday and listen to them. Yet, I knew the power of prayer, and how God had created it to be our direct connection to Him.

Finally, as I became a pastor, I felt more comfortable with praying out loud. I observed my growth in this area as I built it into a common “Holy Habit” in my kids’ lives; but I still found times when I forgot to pray before falling asleep. Was I just too exhausted to touch base with Jesus before resting?

I have met some great prayer people in my life. One of them is a great friend of mine. He owns an amazing sandwich shop, and he is absolutely the definition of a prayer warrior. He was the guy who would pray with you for an hour when he came to visit. It was shocking to me when he said that the hardest person to pray with in his life was his wife. I remember thinking, Why is it that a guy who loves prayer has a hard time praying with the love of his life?

This weekend we will talk about prayer. Jesus said to the disciples in Mark 9:29, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”  

If prayer is so powerful it is obvious that the devil would want to prevent us from praying. This weekend we reflect upon the very words of Jesus, but also on the many ways in which we are distracted from reconnecting with Jesus.

As we face so many challenges in life, it is wonderful that we can return to a conversation with our Creator, Rescuer, and Guide in life. This weekend we will spend time talking about the challenges we face in reconnecting, but also about the joy of having an open connection with Jesus.