And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18
I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t pray – probably lose my mind. Prayer is what gets me through. Whether it’s thanking God for the beauty of another day or asking him to point me in the right direction when making decisions for my family, I pray to God in big ways and small, all day long.
It didn’t use to be like this. Growing up, the only way I knew how to pray was to say the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be over and over. (These are the main prayers of the Rosary.) I still find great comfort in the prayers and turn to them often, but what has changed for me and my prayer life is that I’ve developed a personal relationship with God. He’s become my friend and confidant and I talk to him that way now.
I tell him what’s on my heart – though he already knows. I request things for myself and for others knowing that God will provide in His own way and time. This is where prayer can get frustrating, because we want what we want when we want it. Prayer can bring triumphant joy, but it often comes with significant heartbreak and sorrow. So many emotions wrapped up in one act. But what would you expect when you’re fighting for your soul?!
Prayer is how we fight against evil, but it’s also how we surrender – knowing that we can’t win this war by ourselves. The only one who can do this is Jesus and we need to ask him for help. There’s nothing we can’t bring to him, so we might as well take advantage of the gift the Spirit offers and pray. It’s the only way we’ll make it through, without losing our minds.
