EmmDev 2019-09-18 [Prayer like breathing] An introduction to Prayer

Dear e-dev friends

My apologies for the gap in EmmDevs. It has been an exceptionally hectic time which was made more complicated by me being knocked off my bicycle 2 weeks ago and while my trusty iron steed is fine, I have had a bit of "road rash" to deal with and so my short break from EmmDevs ended up being longer than planned. My bumps and grazes are healing well and we have a few days before our annual October Month of Mission and so I'm going to be sharing some thoughts on prayer...

The first of these is below....

God bless and Love,
Theo

An introduction to Prayer

In our hectic sprinting from deadline to appointment and the daily fight through traffic jams on the road and in our email inboxes, we are easily convinced that we are too busy to pray.

But if we want to avoid running out of steam, we must "be faithful in prayer." In Paul's mind being "joyful in hope" and being "patient in affliction" go hand in hand with being "faithful in prayer". Think about that for a moment... Finding joyful hope and endurance in tough times is connected to prayer!

I have an over-busy mind and always seem to be over-run with things that must be done.

When it comes to being "faithful in prayer," I am still learning.
Here are some quotes from people who have mastered the truths that I am still learning:

• Martin Luther said: "I have so much to do today that I need to spend the first hour in prayer."
• Someone else said: "Seven days without prayer makes one weak!"
• What about this one? "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go." -- Abraham Lincoln
• "One can believe intellectually in the efficacy of prayer and never do any praying." --Catherine Marshall
• "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?"-- Corrie Ten Boom
• Fredrik Wisloff said: "You may pray for an hour and still not pray. You may meet God for a moment and then be in touch with Him all day."
• And this awesome one: "Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan" --John Bunyan

What I'm learning is to stop making excuses about being busy, about not knowing how to pray and just not quite managing to make time to pray, and I am simply grabbing moments to connect deeply and intimately with God.

And whenever I do, it's like taking a huge breath of fresh oxygen and realising that I've been holding my breath and that I actually want to breathe more often.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.       (Romans12:12)

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