Praying

Prayers, Presence, Gifts and Service, these are the commitments that people make when they join the church. Will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church and support it by your prayers, presence, gifts and service.

Remarkably, the most misunderstood of the four is the commitment to pray. Most everyone understands the promises to be present, to give and to find a place of service. Prayer however, is often relegated to a powerless corner of our lives.

Prayer means more than to lift up the church in your prayers. Prayer is more than, "I call your name in prayer."

When I am truly in prayer, I bring myself and the object of my prayers into the presence of God. If I am praying for you, I bathe you in the love of God, I surround my church with a gracious caring. I don't have to know all the details, I just bring you, my dear friend, into the presence of our loving God.

My attitude changes as I pray. I give up my preferences and I seek to surround my church with love. I forgive whatever may bother me about the person I am praying for and I sincerely ask God to bless them. This kind of prayer releases me from pain and worry and fills me with joy! My own problems grow strangely dim as I hold you up in prayer.

In short, prayer helps me become spiritually engaged. In true prayer, my opinion goes out the window and I am lost in the love of God. Prayer is not about control, it is about submission. Our commitment to prayer is a deeply serious and spiritual one.

Prayer heals the brokenness of our lives without changing the circumstances. In prayer, I find the face of God. In prayer, I hide his word in my heart. In prayer, I become the most caring and compassionate me. Prayer helps me to see the good, and to trust God when I don't see the good.

Prayer is good for me. Prayer is good for all of us. Busy? Stressed? Enter the presence of God. Not with a cursory prayer, but with a seeking the face of God prayer. Pray until your heart is healed, pray until you want nothing but the awareness of God almighty.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.