What Does it Mean?
The Bible talks a lot about prayer, so what does prayer mean, why does it matter so much to God, & what does it actually accomplish?
I Thessalonians 5:17 is just two simple words, “Pray continually,” or, as other translations put it, “pray without ceasing,” but what does that actually mean? Are we supposed to pray through every waking moment? Pretty much.
Now wait, before you go thinking something along the lines of, “but what about when I am sleeping? Or doing something else? Or concentrating on something important? How am I supposed to be expected to never cease praying?
In All Things
Now here’s one thought—think about this for a moment. Do you usually have inner dialogue with yourself—Thinking, problem solving, creating, visualizing, dreaming, etc.?
Now imagine this, God sees all of what goes through your mind—at all times. He hears your thoughts constantly. He knows everything about you, even to a subconscious level!
So why not include Him in your thoughts, problem solving, creating, visualizing, dreaming, etc.?
Just Add God
AS thoughts role through your mind, talk to God instead of to yourself. He is a faithful friend & a kind Father, waiting to spend quality time with you.
AS you are thinking through a problem, ask Him to give you wisdom & insight, because He is infinitely wise.
AS you are creating, ask for His inspiration, because He is infinitely creative! Think of all the unique qualities in just the human population alone & the intricacies of the human body. Envision God’s masterpieces in nature like clouds, flowers, snow, mountains, animals, etc.! He is creative!
AS you are visualizing & dreaming, ask for God’s input & thank Him for allowing such beauty & vastness to be imagined in just our minds!
God is pretty amazing at being God. He is humble & kind & loving. He is faithful. He is infinitely wise & creative!
We’re just asked to invite Him into the conversation. Let Him lead you with His able hands &His loving care for you.
Why Does God Care Whether We Pray?
So why does it matter so much to God that we pray? Doesn’t He already know everything we’re thinking without us telling Him?
Well, yes. But….
To help us grasp an aspect of why prayer matters to God, I once heard the illustration of a child & her mother.
Imagine with me that the child’s teacher calls home every day & tells the mother everything that happened to their child that day, in every detail they could recall… When the child returns home, the mother then inquires about her daughter’s day, only to be met with a hurried, short answer, eager to run off & play.
The mother already knew the answer to her own questions, but she longed to connect with her daughter. How do you think it felt to be snubbed by the child you adore so much? (Maybe some moms already know the feeling from experience!)
Because God Cares About You
You see, not only is it POSSIBLE to pray continually, taking all of our concerns & cares to God, & even though God already knows EVERYTHING before we even tell Him… God WANTS to hear from us. He WANTS connection & relationship with us. He LOVES you!
Maybe we are stressed, anxious, afraid, hurting, etc. God already knows.
But our Loving Father–God– gives rest, peace, strength, power, & protection to those who seek Him out.
He will never force unwanted attention on us, but He will willingly pour it out to those who seek Him.
He wants to comfort you. He wants to figuratively hold you safe in His fortress of protection against the pain in this world. He wants to lift us up to soar like an eagle above the fray. He wants to give us rest.
All He asks is for us to come to Him & talk to Him & ask for His help, guidance, direction, wisdom, strength, hope, peace, love, joy, etc.
What’s the Big Deal?
But what does prayer even accomplish?
First of all, one of the biggest things I have noticed is that the more I pray, the more I feel His presence & peace in my life.
When we don’t pray, God is still working, but we are so distracted scrambling through each moment, too absorbed in our day-to-day chaos to even notice His presence sometimes.
Sometimes, we feel so caught up in our world that we feel like He has vanished & left us to our scramble of chaos.
But when we pray over specific things throughout the day that cause us worry or strain or even a cry for comfort, we are allowing God to show off His love for us.
Instead of His actions being vague, unnoticed background noise to our chaos, they become the foreground in a beautiful display of love & affection for us.
He Longs to Pour Love on Us Continually
It’s sort of like someone following you around trying to give you flowers & chocolates & hugs of comfort & kind words of affection… but we are juggling so much that we keep saying, “yeah yeah, not now,” without noticing their kind gestures for even a moment.
Allow God to permeate your day. Allow time to stop & receive His kind gestures of love & affection. Allow His infinite wisdom to guide & direct you through the crazy. Allow His strength to give you peace in the struggle.
He is constantly trying to show you Himself, so take time to pray through it all & allow Him room to show off His love for you. Allow Him to show you all that He is capable of in the midst of your life.
Prayer lets us see Him work. Prayer gives credit where credit is due–to God–& shines a light of “obviousness” to His workings day-to-day.
Let God Lead, Let God Shine
Allow your burdens to fall at His feet, letting Him be shown off to everyone around you, through your life. Let Him do the leading.
Maybe you have been like me & you have prayed constantly about something for which your heart ached & desired (my recent personal examples are asking to be comfortable & less lonely overseas & also for a child these past 5.5 years).
Maybe you have prayed so many times with no answer that you even feel bitter about praying even once more about it. (Definitely been there!)
Maybe you feel forgotten & hurt by God for allowing a painful situation to happen to you. (Definitely been there, too!)
But listen to me, Beautiful. God cares about you still. He CARES about you more than you can even wrap your head around. And He definitely hasn’t forgotten you & He is definitely NOT mocking you.
God hears you.
God Doesn’t Promise Easy
But listen to this as well, God tells us something that is vital to understand while living on this Earth…
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Notice the phrase, “in this world you WILL have trouble.” (Emphasis added.) God never promises this life will be easy. In fact, He tells us just the opposite.
In this world, there is sin. We are born as sinners. Sin exists & sin hurts.
We are not immune from feeling the affects of sin.
But, God
But God also has another important thing to say in that verse—“But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
You see, He will not promise that you will never face pain or struggle, but He does promise countless times, in the Bible, that He will comfort & strengthen us as we trust in Him… as we PRAY & ask Him to guide us & comfort us along the way.
Learn & Grow & Pray with Effectiveness!
We won’t always get our way, & sometimes that is simply because we aren’t asking the right question.
That is why, along with prayer, we should be learning who God is & what He promises us.
Because God KEEPS His promises 100% of the time & we can pray them with full trust that He will answer us as He promises!
In My Unanswered Prayers, God Worked WONDERS!
In my unanswered prayer for comfort overseas, God taught me that although I am weak & prone to bitterness/wandering from Him, His grace sustains me & His grace covers all of my failings!
In my unanswered prayer to have children these past almost 6 years, God has shown me that I can be fruitful for the next generation by pouring hope into other women who will in turn pass that hope onto all of THEIR children! God KNOWS my heart!!
When I thought He was ignoring me or leaving my prayers unanswered, He was still working. He was waiting for me to trust Him, lay my desires at His throne, & request of Him that His opinion & His guidance take authority over my own earthly wisdom.
He Offers Us So Much More Than We Ask!
He offers us joy in suffering, comfort in trials, strength in weakness & so much more.
So, as we learn more about who His is & what He promises us, through reading & studying His Word to us—the Bible, we can reach out & take claim of those!
We will learn how to pray more effectively the more we know Him & His promises.
Not Today, Satan!
Don’t let Satan trick you into believing that prayer is only before meals, quick & distracted by the lure of warm food. Don’t let him trick you into thinking prayer is only this formal ritual that must be performed or spoken a certain way.
God is with us always. He hears our thoughts. He knows you. So just TALK to Him!
Even in your thoughts, learn to have a conversation with Him throughout your day, letting Him in on your activities & ideas, asking for His direction & wisdom.
And if you struggle or feel resistance, don’t you dare let the devil make you think it ends there—prayer honors God, so claim that Truth & ask God to grow you in prayer! And keep asking!
The more you pray & ask God to help you learn to pray, the more God fans that flame & grows that seed of your desire to know Him.
What Can Prayer Do?
Prayer just means talking to God—out loud or in your thoughts.
Prayer matters because it’s how we see God work & it grows our relationship with Him because He cares so much for us.
Prayer accomplishes SO much because it transfers our worries & cares & struggles & insecurities & weakness to His infinite Love, Wisdom, Strength, Power, & ENOUGHness.
He fills us. He fulfills us. He guides & directs us. He comforts us. He protects us. He listens to us. He LOVES us!
So, talk to Him, Beautiful!
Start the conversation & SHINE HOPE!
Coming Next Week
Make sure to check back next Monday morning at 6am EST for more encouragement!
Also, next week will feature this month’s Special Feature post, shared every last Thursday of the month. This is my chance to share with you something a little different than the usual, so you can see a different side of me. Sometimes I share short stories, sometimes poetry, other times I will share about life in Japan, etc., so make sure to check it out!
A Note from Michelle:
If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox, along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Weekly Special Spotlight:
Each week, I will feature an item that is changing lives. These pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Sea Glass Necklace
Empowering Women in Jordan & India Out of Poverty!
This necklace features a silver-plated chain with a sea glass charm. *Sizes & colors of glass vary.
Artisan Information:
Many Jordanian women have their lives controlled by their closest male relative. These men balance many customs at home, creating a lack of independence. Some of these women are divorced, widowed, or married to a man who may already have many wives. But amid struggles, these women we work with arrive to a family-like workplace. They can be heard singing, laughing, & drinking tea while creating our unique jewelry made from upcycled glass bottles.
Because of their cleanup efforts of the beaches at the Red Sea, these women now upcycle glass from local restaurants. The glass is then tumbled with water & sand from the Red Sea.
Your purchase empowers them with boldness & financial independence for the first time!
Purchase this piece & empower a woman in Jordan!
Shop Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
