Pray... and mean it!

"God is there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it."
Psalm 145:18 Message Bible

Recently, I was speaking with my church about the power and the importance of prayer. We talked about how this communication is important to maintain a relationship with God, just as open communication is a requirement for any other relationship. 

I heard how difficult it could be to pray because so many other things enter our mind and we find our thoughts drifting. The enemy is cunning, isn't he? Amazing how we can so easily get preoccupied when we are supposed to be communing with God.

But there are several promises given to us, when we endeavor to pray to the Father, through Jesus Christ. God has promised to be there... eagerly listening for everyone who prays and means it. He has promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him when we do so with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). He tells us that we can have confidence in knowing that we can have anything according to His will if we earnestly ask Him (I John 5:14). The only requirement is that we pray and pray earnestly, with our whole heart. Without attention deficits. Without wondering minds. Laser focused.

Now is a time for us to pray more earnestly than ever. Even though we are dealing with the sickness and death from COVID-19, and a wealth of other things that concern our heart, God still gives us a chance to communicate with Him. He still promises to be there. We should run to the throne of grace often, making prayer a part of our everyday life, not a task in a brief moment of time. 

What a joy it is to know all that awaits us in the will of God when we give Him our attention! He desires to fellowship with us. He wants to talk to us. And when we communicate with Him, He is there listening for all who pray, and mean it.