The alarm goes off. You bathe, brush your teeth, and get dressed. If you have kids, you get them up and going and eat breakfast. You get into your car and drive to work, maybe you turn on the radio. You get to work, check emails, attend meetings, roll up your sleeves and work, eat lunch, meet people, talk to people, do this, do that, until the clock strikes time to go home. You get back into your car, turn the key, and begin to drive home. Then you realize you have nothing at home to make for dinner. So, you go to the store, buy food, pick up the kids, and run other errands. You finally are home, you throw some laundry into the washing machine, get dinner ready, make sure the kid does her homework, eat dinner, clean up from dinner, and by that time the day is almost over. You get the kids to sleep, you’re tired and want to sleep yourself. But, then you turn to your spouse, and though you know you shouldn’t, you decide to watch one episode of that show that you’ve been watching. More tired than you should be, you go to sleep; the alarm goes off; another day begins.
If that is not your typical day, take a moment to inventory your own. Then ask yourself: where was God in your day? How often did you think of him? Once? Twice? Thrice? Did you see him in your child, while he was having a meltdown? Did you see him in your struggling co-worker? Did you see him in the clerk at the check-out counter?
The Apostle Paul said, “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:18).” The prayer that Paul is talking about is not the one-liners we insert between worship songs. He is talking about a prayer life that infuses every moment of the day.
The fourth century bishop Gregory of Nyssa said of prayer, “…the effect of prayer is union with God, and if someone is with God, he is separated from the enemy. Through prayer we […] control our temper, and rid ourselves of vanity; it makes us forget injuries, overcome envy, defeats injustice, and makes amends for sin.” For those in Christ, prayer is the oxygen that fills our spiritual veins, the food that feeds our souls, and the cocoon in which inward transformation takes place. How could you incorporate this type of prayer into your typical day?
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