You’ve Got to Pray!

I overslept, then tripped over my laptop cord as I rushed to the bathroom to get ready. Despite my best efforts to make it out of the house on time, I left five minutes too late and am stuck in traffic. I finally made it into the office, only to cross paths with a co-worker who annoys me. I sat down at my desk, opened my email, and saw the meeting reminder notifying me that I was 15 minutes late for a meeting. And so, a bad day begins with a series of minor irritating events that build up. I take a deep breath in and out, then remember those wise words from MC Hammer, “We got to pray just to make it today. I said we pray.” It’s not long, epic, or eloquent. It’s just enough to fill in the space between “Dear God" and "Amen." My prayer is simply, “Dear God, Help! Let this day get better. Amen.”

I used to think that prayer was only for the big things or deep spiritual things. My logic was, “God has things on his mind beyond my little problems. He’s a busy God. So how can I pray about my bad day?” I thought God would be insulted by my prayer. Then I reflected on Philippians 4:6, which says, “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need” (NLT). It says to pray about everything, not just about some things! Everything means everything, even bad days.

In John 16:24, Jesus says, “Until now, you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” At this time, Jesus’ arrest, betrayal by a disciple, denial by a disciple, and crucifixion were very near. Yet, He spent an entire evening preparing, teaching, and encouraging His disciples. Knowing that the days between His arrest and resurrection would be bad, Jesus told His disciples to pray. He let them know they could find joy in part from their prayer life. And so can we.

We can talk to God about everything in our life: relationships, school, health, work, and play. It doesn’t matter how small or big we perceive the problem to be. At any time, day or night, we can simply open our hearts and speak to the Lord Jesus in a personal way. Our prayers establish a connection with God so He can fill our hearts with joy. When we pray, we’ll grow stronger in our relationship with Him, experience His love for us, and be filled with joy!

Ponder

What prayers has God answered for you recently? How did thanking God for answering your prayers make you feel? How did it increase your joy?

Pray

Dear Lord, thank You for the reassurance that You are listening to me when I pray. Remind me that I can come to You and tell You about everything. Help me to experience the joy that comes from speaking with You.