“Pray constantly.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
“Pray constantly.” This might seem impossible in light of how busy we are, even more so in situations like round-the-clock parenting. “Pray as often as you can” is sometimes all we can aim for. But realistically, many of us end up praying very little, at the last minute, when something overwhelms us. For instance, the other day a discussion with friends about the woes of the world ended with a comment about not being able to do anything about it all. Then one friend spoke up and suggested, “Why don’t we pray about it right now?” How could we have forgotten?! It was comforting to know we could leave such burdens at God’s throne and sleep easier that night.
It’s important to remember that the act of praying is not a talisman or button = reward mechanism. More than a mere ritual, we should consider who are we praying to (Jer. 10:3-16). What are we hoping will change? Something that is annoying us or a significant problem? About ourselves or others? The Lord Jesus taught us to include all sorts of topics when praying to God: recognition of God’s authority, greatness, and goodness; our humble readiness to live the way God directs; provision for basic bodily needs; restoration of relationships; and more (Mt. 6).
It’s also good to consider what we expect God to do about the problem. Just because He is all-powerful and all-knowing does not mean He is all-doing; God set up this world so that we people can also change, create, deconstruct, harm, heal, and make a difference in lots of other ways. Sometimes problems are so big that He is the only one who can see a way to reconcile the mess we’ve made, and sometimes we can do something about the problem with His wisdom (Jas. 1:3-8). Often it is during prayer that God reveals to us how we can act in His way on His behalf as He motivates by His support. With that in mind, pray about anything and everything!