Dear friends,

Growing up Presbyterian among my fellow Protestants, I was already in seminary before I knew anything about what goes on in the Roman Catholic Church. But one of the first things I discovered was the breviary, the prayers of the day. Too many days, my prayers consisted only of mealtime, bedtime, and the Lord's Prayer on Sundays. Since then, my prayer life has grown considerably, but not enough. 

While teaching Sunday School in the '90s as an associate pastor, I overshared with the class, admitting that I sometimes thought about "the next thing" in worship while praying, focusing more on the worship's flow than the prayer itself. 

One of my students, a more mature Christian, reminded me of 1 Thessalonians 5:17:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

His gentle rebuke made me confront my prayer life for the first time, though I had been an ordained pastor for 5 years. My prayer life had large holes.

Prayer is one of God's most gracious gifts. God our Father in heaven gives us the precious gift of the divine ear, to listen to the stirrings of our hearts, caring deeply, beyond our comprehension. What we do next with this precious gift is entirely up to us. Whether we ask God for things on our behalf or on behalf of others, pray for forgiveness, pray for answers, pray for relief, or just take the time to pray prayers of praise and thanksgiving, we know our prayers carry weight with God.

This week, I charge you to add one prayer to your daily life. Add a morning prayer, an evening prayer, a first sip of coffee prayer, a prayer in a restaurant, a prayer on a commercial break, or maybe something longer and more elaborate. It may not cause you to live a life of "praying without ceasing," but it might get you closer to the goal. Amen.

Peace,
Ron