“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thess 5:16 – 18.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Phil 4:6
I love to read. And during the quarantine, I’ve been able to read more. I wish I could say I read new, political non-fiction books to stay informed, or more religious themed books. But to be honest, I enjoy a good mystery. And earlier this year I saw some conversation on Lisa Brewer’s Facebook page where several people were talking about books. There was a series by Louise Penney that was mentioned. Several people said how they enjoyed it, so I thought I’d give it a try.
Well, I fell in love with the characters and their village in Canada. The main character is Armand Gamache who is a chief inspector with the Quebec police department. As he trains his officers, he has them remember four statements – “I’m sorry”; “I was wrong”; “I don’t know”; “I need help”.
I remember putting down my book and thinking – wow, those are strong words. I need to put those in my vocabulary. And then I thought, what a great prayer to God. “I’m sorry” – I am sorry for missing the mark – again. I am so very sorry if I let You down, Lord. Please forgive me “I was wrong” – I should have thought twice before I spoke. I was wrong to say that, or think that. Please help me with this. “I don’t know” – I don’t know – but You do! And thankfully You are in control. Remind me to trust You at all times. “I need help” – enough said.
It took me years to realize that when you pray, God just wants you to talk to Him. Prayers don’t have to have fancy words. He just wants to hear your heart. Jesus gives us wonderful examples of how to pray. The Psalms give us direction for our prayer life. Traditional hymns and contemporary Christian music are heartfelt prayers. I found a prayer in a mystery book!
And if you’re not sure what to pray, take heart and listen to this from “The Message” bible – Romans 8, 27- 28 “If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves…and keeps us present before God”. And don’t we all want to be present before God!
Gracious and Loving God, We praise You! We give You thanks for the generous blessings and grace You give us. Thank you for Your faithfulness and always listening to us – at all times. And thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Vicki Compean