An Aversion to Prayer

I have a serious aversion to prayer. Well, sort of. I can walk around all day and chat with God at my own convenience - while I'm in the shower, doing dishes, taking a hike, feeding my daughter...I am the queen of multitasking. If I can't do five things at once, I might as well do nothing at all.

So, when it comes to taking time out of my day to sit down and write out prayers - time dedicated to solely talking to God about my relationships, my family, friends in need, interceding for others through prayer - I hesitate. In fact, I do more than hesitate - I avoid it nearly completely. Except for that occasional time when I do do it, obligatorily, just so that I can say "nearly" in my previous sentence.

So this year, while everyone was buying gym memberships, swearing of carbs, and making other New Year's resolutions, I thought that I would make one, too.

I'm going to set aside time everyday to sit down, set aside everything else, and pray.

And I'm going to see what it does. 

I have had the pleasure of talking so much in the last few months about parenting...Utah is a place that is abundantly fertile, apparently, and children are everywhere (I know of 12 friends that are having babies this year -AH!). It's fantastic because I have so many opportunities to see people parent their children. And not just "people" in general, but my closest friends and family who love God with all their hearts and desire to raise their children up to accept the grace offered them by Christ. Those are the people I like to talk with about parenting. 

This week in particular I've been able to talk to a few of my close friends about books they're reading and have read, parenting tricks they've used. It's hilarious, mostly. Every child is so different, every parent so different, that it's impossible for any self help book to be completely effective - although sometimes they can be helpful. 

But the best advice I got this week was this: 

"You're not the perfect parent. God is the perfect parent. The best thing you can do is pray for your children and point them back to God." 

So, in light of my new years resolution, I started thinking about that. If praying for my children is the best thing I can do for them, who else is it the best thing I can do for? 

I can pray for my husband. I can pray for my friends who just lost their child. I can pray for my coworkers. I can pray for my parents, my siblings. I can pray for my church. I can pray for my friends who just had a baby. I can pray for my marriage. For my friends' marriages. I can pray for this city. I can pray for this state. This country. This list can go on and on and on.

So often, I think I feel like prayer isn't enough because I am not physically doing something. But in reality, what is more effective than calling on the Creator of the Universe to work in your life, your husband or wife and your children's lives and the lives of your community? Isn't that so much better than trying to do something myself? 

Frankly, I'm exhausted thinking about it. Not to mention hopeless. 

So, this is why I want to live a life of prayer. So that God might be glorified in the fact that I can do nothing for myself, my family or my friends except pray unceasingly. 

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The power of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 6:13-16