How often do you talk with Jesus? Once a day? At meal times? Hopefully more than that. In 1 Thessalonians in the Bible, we are told to pray without ceasing. In a conversation yesterday with a young believer, I realized that that was a new concept for him. How does one do that?
Obviously we can’t be on our knees our entire life. Nor do we walk around with our hands stretched to the heavens at every moment. While these forms of prayer are good and important, they aren’t practical if we are expected to pray at all times.
As I explained to the interested believer, prayer for me more than a daily ritual. It is a lifeline that keeps me connected to God. It is a running dialog that I have with Jesus. When I am walking to breakfast, I am thanking Jesus. When I am reading the Bible, I am asking God to help me understand. When I am typing a blog, I am asking God for words. The believer was very surprised to find out the seemingly two-person conversation that we were having also included a near constant side-conversation between me and Jesus.
But how does Jesus answer in this conversation, the believer wondered? For me, I told him, it is usually by reminding me of truth from the Bible. That is why being familiar with God’s word is so important to me. Jesus doesn’t just speak to me through it when I am reading it, but also He helps me remember it and put it into practice when I need it most.
This conversation was an encouragement for us both as I hope it is for for you as well. Please pray for the team, that we stay connected to Jesus well through prayer and reading the Bible, and that God continues to grow us and the others we meet as we follow in faith.