Our Daily Bread: Prayer Changes ThingsSample

Texting God. 

An article in The Washington Post told about a 15-year-old girl who sent and received 6,473 cell phone text messages in a single month. She says about her constant communication with friends, “I would die without it.” And she is not alone. Researchers say that 90 percent of people worldwide text at least once per day, and more than 350 billion text messages are sent each month. 

To me, this ongoing digital conversation offers a remarkable illustration of what prayer could and should be like for every follower of Christ. Paul seemed to be constantly in an attitude of prayer for others: “We have not stopped praying for you” (Col. 1:9). “Be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18). “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). But how can we possibly do that? 

Frank Laubach, a missionary in the Philippines, described his habit of “shooting” prayers at people as he encountered them during the course of each day. In a sense, he was “texting” God on their behalf, staying in constant communication with the Father. 

Laubach believed that prayer is the mightiest force in the world, and said: “My part is to live in this hour in continuous inner conversation with God and in perfect responsiveness to His will.” Never stop praying. Perhaps what Paul urged us to do can be done. —David McCasland 

Prayer should become as natural as breathing.