Prayer

Prayer is this super important thing. I know it is. But for me, prayer isn’t easy.  It’s hard.  Really hard.

Praying out loud causes me such extreme anxiety. People listening to me talk…judging the words I’m using, or that 10 times I stumbled over a word (caused by the anxiety).  I spend almost the entire prayer focusing on those around me instead of on the God I’m praying to.  Which I guess means I’m not even really praying…

Praying alone is much less stress filled, buy I am SO easily distracted.  I openly admit I usually have a busy mind. I don’t like “nothing”. I like having something to do or think about. I like having to think through things. So, when I sit in prayer I have the best intentions that soon are overtaken with what I’m going to make for dinner, or trying to remember if I set that appointment, or thinking about how many hours of sleep I’ll have if I fall asleep now. God totally deserves better than that.

Because I’m not feeling beat up enough by the convicting message from Francis Chan I also like to listen to Chuck Swindoll on the way to work in the morning.

Chuck Swindoll called us out on our lack of honesty in prayer. How often do you tell somebody you’ll pray for them…then don’t? So, Pastor Swindoll says in some manner or another that if you told somebody you’d pray for them and then DON’T then next time you see them, tell them you didn’t.  You’ll fix that bad habit really quick if you’re being honest and admitting your failures to people you had “failed”.

That hit me pretty hard this last week so I’m challenging myself in my prayer.  I’d like your help!  Can you text me, or call me, or email me, or message me, or even comment on this post with a prayer request for you?  Tell me, how can I pray for you!  Every day I will choose one of you to pray for. All day. When I wake up, throughout my day whenever I find myself with a few free minutes, while I’m driving, and before bed.  I want to focus my day in prayer for friends and family (and maybe the random stranger that comes across this). 

I’ll let you know the day that I am praying for you (for accountability) AND if I fail you, I’ll be honest and admit it to you and seek your forgiveness.