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I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say that the word “prayer” can be a bit daunting and overwhelming.
We know that God commands it.
We know that He hears it.
We know it is a simple conversation between God and His children.
But something about it can seem so hard to grasp.
And then we read the command to “pray without ceasing” and we wonder if it is even attainable!
How in the world do we pray without ceasing?
I wrote a post a few years back about how I stopped saying “amen” at the end of my personal prayers. It's not because I thought it was unbiblical or anything, but in my mind it seemed so final. Like I had completed a task to check off my list and was moving on with my day, and it just didn't feel right.
I was beginning to grasp the truth behind praying without ceasing, realizing that it is a lifestyle. It is a constant conversation with God throughout the day.
It's been really neat to stop a thought mid-sentence and realize that God is listening in. And it's not because I did or didn't say amen at the end of a previous prayer, but because the Holy Spirit resides within me, and God promises to communicate with and LISTEN to His kids.
I am currently in the middle of a great book called Spirit Hunger by Gari Meacham. The section I read today was on this very topic. She labels this concept “breath prayers.” The idea is breathing out a desire or praise to God to push back fear or regain focus. I love one of the ones she shared that she breathes out often, “My Savior, remove my fear.” Another woman shared her prayer as being, “faith, not fear.” A breath prayer that I find on repeat in my own mind is, “God, give me a humble confidence in You.”
After reading Meacham's take on the lifestyle of prayer and how simple she made it sound, I have decided that I'm going to try it out on my kids. What better way to help them grasp the concept that God is always with them! He is always listening! He cares about their lives and activities.
The lifestyle of prayer is a simple breath of words lifted up in our everyday.
I would love to hear how you have incorporated this idea with your children. And just as importantly, how have you built this ceaseless praying into your own life?
