Verse of the Day - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray continually. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)

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In college these days, you might see a room full of laptops, where once stood a sea of pens and notepads. Now it's notebooks, and I'm not talking about the spiral bound kind! I think it's great that kids can take notes on their computer, or even look up info for discussion. My daughter's campus is completely wireless, so that wherever she is, whether it's her dorm room, or the library, or at the cafe, she can connect to the internet at no cost, on the spot. And, although the professors are probably aware of this, kids instant message (IM) their friends right in the middle of class! They even IM those sitting in the same classroom, and chit-chat about how boring the lecture is! Technology is pretty amazing.

My pastor started a sermon series on prayer just last week, called "IMing with God". The idea is that prayer can and should be like instant messaging with God. Free-flowing, anytime, talk time with God. Like chit-chatting with friends.

Is that how you view prayer?

If Jesus has paved the way to God's throne in your life, it can be...

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. ~ Romans 5:1-2 (The Msg)

A friend of mine was recently asked by one of his co-workers who doesn't know Jesus, "Why does God hate me? Why doesn't He answer my prayers?" My friend explained that God isn't like Santa Claus, where you just ask for things and He grants wishes. "It's about the relationship," he told her. And that is the main point about Christianity, in general. Relationship, not religion. And in relationship, people talk. Sometimes A LOT. (yeah, I know...I'm a talker. I just think God made me that way. Don't hate, appreciate. :-)

So, if we have a relationship with God through Jesus, prayer should just flow easily, right? Some of you may be thinking, wrong. Why is it that the communication breaks down or gets stale? Or maybe it never gets past the formal "Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name..." type of prayer.

Relationship. It's all about the relationship. How you view God will have alot to do with how you talk to Him.

~ If He's the Judge, you'll be swearing on a Bible, and calling Him "your honor", hoping not to anger Him and be held in contempt of court.

~ If He's the Genie in a bottle, you'll summon Him when you want something, and send Him back into the bottle when you're done.

~ If He's your Father, you'll plop on the couch next to Him, tell Him about your day, get some advice, tell Him you love Him...and ask to borrow the car. :-)

See how the relationship drives the dialogue?

If your prayer life seems stiff and awkward, instead of honest dialogue between two friends, I hope that you will seek God for more. Just be honest with Him. Ask Him to change your concept of the relationship, to give you a desire to communicate with Him on a moment-by-moment basis. And then just talk...and listen. About anything. About everything...

Love,
Joelene