You Should Pray About It

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. – James 5:13

Prayer Is More Than a Checklist

Do you ever pray, read your Bible for the day, and mentally check it off the list? You wouldn’t actually put it on your to-do list, but once you get it done, you say, “Good, now I don’t have to feel guilty about not doing that.” 

However, the Bible doesn’t talk about prayer like that. It doesn’t say, “Make sure you pray once a day so that God remembers you.” God says to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). But how is that truly possible? It seems unlikely that anyone is going to spend their entire day praying. 

God Desires Relationship, Not Routine

God longs for us to be in a relationship with Him. He is a jealous God (Ex. 34:14). He wants to talk to talk with us, to be part of our daily life. That’s why the Bible talks so much about prayer! God wants to talk with you! 

So, throughout your day, talk to Him. Yes, it is good to have dedicated time for the Lord, but it is also good to talk to God and be together with Him. So that throughout your day, when you have moments of anxiety, fear or doubt, you can lean on Him. And when you have moments of joy, happiness, and excitement, you can celebrate with Him. 

Talk to God Through Every Emotion

God made these emotions; He understands the ups and downs of day-to-day life, and He just wants to do it with you. 

Prayer does not need to be only for our designated quiet time. Humans were made with a wide range of emotions, and we can talk to God about every emotion we are feeling. It’s like the ultimate therapist. The One who created your emotions can help you to handle them. When we talk to God about our emotions, we end up having a more biblical perspective. We can handle the different emotions that come our way better, and we can prevent sin before it even starts to brew in our hearts.

Jesus Is the Example of Constant Connection

The Bible commands us to pray, and we have the perfect example of prayer in Jesus. Jesus was constantly taking time away to pray and was in constant union with God the Father. He wanted to spend a lot of time with God. It was not an obligation but rather a lifeline that Jesus used.

In the same way, being in union with God and talking to Him consistently can be a lifeline for us. We were not made to do this life alone, we were made to talk to God about everything going on. Our hearts soften, we can process our emotions better, and we can have a more biblical perspective if we just take the time to talk to God.

The Privilege of Prayer

The Holy Spirit lives inside of you, and praying gives us direct access to the Holy Spirit. We can rely on Him to sustain us, give us patience in the hard moments, and have someone to celebrate the good moments.

What a privilege it is to have constant access to God. He wants a relationship with us, and He wants to hear what you have to say. Praying is not a chore but a way of life, a way for us to be intimately connected to the One True God.