Prayer and Confession

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Ps. 5:3 (NIV)

"Listen God! Please pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries? King-God, I need your help." Ps. 5:1-2 (The Message Bible)

First, let me confess. My prayer life for the most part, is a dismal failure. That's why I chose to give you the Message Bible's interpretation of Psalm 1-2. Sometimes when I try to pray, it feels like all I do is ramble. Or make a list of things I want God to take care of. I often forget to give him thanks and praise. At times, I've even fallen asleep during prayer. But there is another verse that comforts me.


In the same way, the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26 (NIV)

So let me tell you about today. I attended a Weight Watchers meeting where we talked about exercise, those who do and those who don't. Another confession - I most often fit in the latter category. But after the meeting, I came home motivated, so I grabbed a bottle of water and headed downstairs to my treadmill, intending to do half an hour's worth of moderate walking. I did my half-hours worth, just as I intended, watching a taped version of one of my favorite TV programs. (If you want to know, it's House Hunters International from HGTV.) At the end I felt good, not exhausted, so I decided to walk a bit longer. But for this segment, I decided to turn off the TV and just be reflective. Soon, my reflection turned to prayer, almost without my knowing it, and for once, I felt as if I had prayed well. I did this with my eyes closed and head bent (not that this is the only accepted version), so when I was finished, I looked up and realized I had prayed past the time I allotted for walking. This made me feel very happy.

My point, if I can ever get to it, is twofold. First, God accepts all kinds of prayers - yes, even the kind we fall asleep in the middle of. And when we can't pray, the Holy spirit takes matters into his own hands, so to speak. (Awesome thought!) Second, we can pray at anytime, at any place, and God hears us. (Another awesome thought!) Actually, there's a third point. God answers all our prayers, sometimes not as fast as we would like, and sometimes not in the way we would like. But usually, his way works out for the best. No - it always works out for the best! We just can't see it. So on this point, I want to quote another Bible verse, perhaps my favorite verse in the whole Bible. 

"For I know the plans I have for you,: declares the Lord, "plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 


I first received this verse from a friend at one of the lowest points of my life. It was on a refrigerator magnet, and though I only had a bare amount of food in the fridge, I hung it on the door, and when I did go for food, I would see it and read it.


Five years later, I chose this verse for my wedding invitations. And my marriage has proved to be one of God's greatest blessings in my life.


May God bless you and hold you in his loving embrace, today and everyday. Amen