To pray is to depend. It is acknowledging the fact that I am not alone and should not handle life alone. God has designed us to be in relationship with him and thus always in touch with him through prayer.
"Just Pray About It" can be some of the best advice ever given or taken. The Christian life isn't always about finding answers but finding rest. Sometimes prayer is the last place we go when it should be the first. Embarrassingly we tend to treat it as a last resort we go to out of desperation.
It was second nature to Jesus. Whether it was feeding 5,000 or alone in a garden he wanted to be aware of his Father in heaven. He assumed God's loving presence in all he was and did which made it all the more natural. As followers of Jesus we all have that same privilege. The very Spirit of God lives in us as he does his Son.
As the Apostle Paul described some common qualities of believers in Jesus he listed this phrase as well, "...be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12, to just pray about something was not a shallow cliche but part of the very essence of being a follower of Christ. Because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we now have full and welcomed access to God's throne.
One obvious application of these thoughts for us who are married is simply this:
When was the last time you prayed for your marriage? Not only that but when was the last time you prayed together?
Could some of the challenges in our marriages be a result of a shallow view of prayer? We tend to live from crisis to crisis rather than faith to faith. Prayer then is that rarely used gift that we only pull off the shelf in times of emergency. Jesus had a mindset of prayer in all things. He prayed before - during and after things in his life.
I wish I did more of that early in my married life. But it's never too late!!
So let me give you the obvious advice if you want to have a God honoring and Christ centered marriage:
"Just Pray About It."
2 comments:
Thanks this is encouraging. I loved the sentence about christian life is not about finding answers but about finding rest. that was so beautiful and true. That went straight to my heart and made me relaxed as i meditate on it.
I am about to get married in a month and this is so precious and timely. my heart is to have a God centered marriage and I'm looking forward to having that lifestyle with my future wife, in praying before, during and after everything. Also living a lifestyle of praise and thanksgiving...thank you for sharing :0)
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