"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I'm a skeptic. I've always been a skeptic. It takes a long time for me to buy into something and a longer time for me to change my mind after I've bought into it. Being a skeptic, I'm also a results based guy. I don't believe that something works until I've seen it work; this is both a crutch and a broken knee.
Growing up in my house, there were two things that were true, no matter what. One: God is sovereign and He loves you. Two: the only things you can trust is your family and God. Now, a lot of people think this is harsh. It's not. It's a result of the things we've been through as a family. I won't pretend that we've had the hardest life, but I also won't pretend that we've had the easiest. Any pastor's family knows the struggles that come with being just that.
I've never had a strong prayer life. It's been very hard for me. It's something that sometimes you can see the result of and sometimes you can't. That bugs me. Like I said before, I like to witness results. Because I can't see the immediate results of prayer, my prayer life has been dry. So dry. I read a passage in Colossians today that said, "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people" (Col 1:3-4). I've been thinking a lot lately about my prayer life and this stuck out to me. This is Paul saying that when he prays, he thanks God that people like the Colossians exist. I've never done that! I sent this passage to Sarah's parents and thanked them for the amazing example they've set for their kids and now for me. After that, I made it a point today to think about all the people that I am thankful for existing. It was a long list! But it opened up a new realm for me. Almost instantly, I could feel the true purpose of prayer infiltrating my life, whether I liked it or not. The cool part about this whole story is that I saw a turn around in my prayer life just today. Imagine a week, month, year from now!
Don't believe that I've seen a change? Good! I have a story.
When I was in the middle of prayer at about seven o'clock this evening, someone whom I had forgotten to say thank you for popped into my head. This is a very good friend and mentor of mine whom I met at Providence this summer. He is a Godly man who loves his wife and daughters more than anything, barring of course God. After I said my prayer of thanks, he wouldn't leave my mind. I kept thinking about him and his family. I decided I'm going to act on my impulse and text him. The text I sent was as follows (verbatim): "God put you on my heart while I was praying today. Want you to know I'm thinking about you and I love you, brother!" His response blew. me. away: "Love you too buddy! I'm grateful for your prayers cause we finally finished our taxes today and find out that we owe $4800. And that's a lot of green for us right now, ya know?"
Humbled. That's what I immediately felt. For so long I've been wanting proof, action, and results after I pray; so long I've been expecting God to prove to me that prayer works. The truth? Prayer isn't about us. It's about God. Jesus started His prayer, "Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name." Translated to modern day English: "You, You, You. God, this is about You." Once I finally let GOD dictate my prayer life, He used me to affect someone else's life. Now, my prayer didn't find my friend $4800, nor did I expect it to. But he and I both know that God is looking out for him.
Today, I'm optimistic about my prayer life. Where can it go but up, right?
Thank you, God, for people in my life. Thank you for my family, for Sarah and her family, for Vincyl, for Jackson, for my ROTC family, for my Knoxville family, for my friends in Kentucky, in New York, in Tennessee, in Ohio, in Virginia, in North Carolina, in Florida, and beyond. Thank you for putting me in with a group of amazing people where I'm able to learn more about You. In Your POWERFUL Name I pray, amen.
