One of the greatest blessings I was given in my life was a mother who was a woman of prayer.  Her gift of walking and talking with God was evident in how she lived, what she said, how she used her time, and how she related to others.  My father would pray, “Bless our grandchildren, Lord.”  My mother would pray for each one by name and need, all twenty-seven of them.  She prayed as she walked, she prayed as she worked, she prayed as she listened, and she prayed as she spoke.  She talked to her Heavenly Father naturally and intimately.  Our family learned much from her life of prayer.  Recently, the ladies of the Ladies Bible Study have focused on prayer.  We have considered many passages in scripture which call us to pray, invite us to pray, even command us to pray.  We have considered questions such as: Is God listening?  Why do answers seem so far away?  Does prayer change God or change me?  If God knows everything, why pray?

Many books have been written on prayer, and many methods we can use to pray have been suggested as they teach us how to pray.  Praying is so unique to the individual and can be as natural as breathing, and as simple as talking to a good friend.  It is not a serious chore, something to fit in between the busy schedules of life.  It is not a performance, practiced to create beautiful phrases.  It is not a wish list for God to supply.

Prayer is many things: Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, Intercession, Meditation and more.  Simply put, prayer is being in the presence of a loving God; it is listening to what He has to say and sharing your heart with Him.  Prayer is a gift from God to His children.  Connecting with our God fills our deepest need, our strongest longing.  It is, for us broken and redeemed sinners, to stand before the Great “I AM”, knowing His mercy, His love, and His daily care.  Prayer raises our sights beyond our own limitations to the beauty and vastness of our Sovereign God who desires to be in communion with us.   God knows our deepest needs well before we ask Him, and answers our prayers in His wisdom, His way.

It takes courage to come before Him with our pain, our doubts, our complaints, our shame, and our regret.  We come before Him with our praise, our thanksgiving, our blessings.  We come!  He hears!  He loves!  Prayer is cultivating a deep life-changing relationship with our Living Lord.  What an amazing privilege it is to pray.  It takes courage and commitment to live in communion with God.  Prayer is “the chief part of thankfulness”. (Heidelberg Catechism).

During this season of Lent, when we remember the price Jesus paid so we can be in intimate communication with God, our prayers reflect our deepest thankfulness.

My mother led a Bible study for many years.  It was called, “Ora et Labora” or “Pray and Work”.  She taught me that we pray when we say “Amen” and rest in the knowledge that God holds us, and He knows everything we need.  Then we go and do the work He has gifted us to do – to bless others and glorify Him.  The theologian named Spurgeon said, “Pray to God, and keep the hammer going”.  “Ora et Labora”.