Prayer is one of the mystical things that no one can really tell you how it works. I mean, how can talking to an unseen God REALLY make a difference? Men & women have been doing it for centuries. Granted, many have prayed to gods of stone and wood and metal. Today many pray to gods of plastic, paper, electronics and account numbers.

And yet... we pray. All of us, with rare exception will utter a prayer from time to time. For those who don’t believe, it is often a “just in case” or as a “last resort”. But how often for those of us who “do know” is it the same?

I have talked about prayer many, many times. We have a special time set aside to pray together - Saturday nights. For those who wonder about reason and time, I believe that God has called us to do it... called me to do it and had me invite those who would like, to join me. There are times when it is an incredible hour or so of closeness to God and to each other and there are others when it is just plain hard work. You see, prayer is not really about us, it is about God... AND us. As one author said, “the goal of prayer is not to get something FROM God but it is to GET God.”

At the bottom line, prayer is simply communication (hopefully 2-way) between us and the only hope for this crazy world we live in. And yes, prayer makes a difference. There are some of us who are alive today because of prayer. No child would survive through adolescence without prayer. Prayers for their protection, protection from the evil in this world AND from the wrath of their parents... from time to time, if you know what I mean?

Many have speculated about how to pray and what to say, looking for that magic formula that will get God to answer according to their wishes. I submit to you that the most important thing is simply to pray. Prayer is like many other things in life, you will get better at it the more that you do it.

Sometimes it is helpful to be practical. Below are some practical steps to making prayer an intimate and normal part of Every Day:

1. It’s MORE than what you Say. No formulas. Just talk to God & let Him talk to you.

2. Make it every Day. Consistency, consistency, consistency!

3. Be ready to Stay. Don’t talk and dash. Make time to spend in His presence.

4. You can Play as you Pray. God often speaks in the most surprising ways. Always be listening for that still small voice.

5. Make sure that God is in the Way. Look at EVERY situation through the lense of the cross.

Most important of all is... Pray! They say that practice makes perfect... The truth is, what you practice you make permanent.

Yours to Count On,

Pastor Ed Eby