Think back to the last time someone asked you to pray for them.  When the request was made, I am sure you told them you would pray.  All day long, you intended to stop what you were doing and pray for their need.  Yet, the day quickly came and went, a blur of meetings, deadlines, and responsibilities.  It wasn’t that you forgot to pray.  You simply were waiting for the perfect moment when you could focus 100% of your attention on this request.  And it is likely that your promise was unintentionally broken.

In this world we live in, there are many times when promises are broken.  Our busy schedules dictate when and where we must be, how long we must be there, and when we must move on to the next item on our agenda.  Because of this, we seldom have time for things that come up unexpectedly.  Even so, we are called by God to pray for one another.  I Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) says that we should “pray continually.”  God’s Word is not telling us that we should spend 24 hours a day on our knees in prayer.  But, we should live our lives as an example for others to follow, always keeping the line of communication open between ourselves and our Heavenly Father.

I know you may feel overwhelmed by this.  You may think, I cannot pray continually.  I spend every waking moment doing everything for everybody.  There is no time left for me, much less prayer.  I want to tell you today that you can pray continually.  I have often felt the same way, but God has taught me how I can avoid the traps that Satan puts in our path.  When someone asks me to pray for them, I stop at that very moment and pray.  Sure, it may be a brief silent prayer as I am heading to my next destination.  Or I may be able to stop, lay my hand on the person’s shoulder, and truly lift them up in prayer.  Either way, I pray.  It doesn’t matter what is going on around me or what else I have to get done during the day, I pray for their need right then.  And I continue to lift them up in prayer throughout the day.

While you may feel more in tune with God if you are sitting in a quiet room, listening to praise and worship music, or searching the pages of God’s Word for answers, you can still pray anywhere, anytime.  If you are on a plane flying from one continent to another, you can pray.  If you are serving your country in a war zone, you can pray.  If you are dropping off your children at school, you can pray.  If you are washing dishes, mowing the lawn, or doing the laundry, you can pray.  If you are sitting in a hospital, nursing home, or any other location on earth, you can pray.  No matter what you are doing, you can pray.  No matter where you are, you can pray.  No matter who you are, you can pray.

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer