A lot rides on our commitment to daily prayer
During my 5 a.m. walk today, when I turned the corner, the sky was just beginning to show daylight. I was in awe and thanked God for another day to become the person he made me to be. In today’s world it is hard to find time to relax, much less pray. But, did you know you can pray anywhere — God doesn’t care where you are physically, he just wants you to pray to him, talk to him about how your day is going, and ask him for any help you may need. A friend, Kathleen, once told me that God is willing to help, but sometimes he just wants to be asked. Kathleen had arthritis in her hands and had a hard time using her key to open her mailbox. But she never gave up; she would ask God to help, and she was able to get the key into the slot and open her mailbox. She was a true believer in what God can/will accomplish if we just ask.
[ms-protect-content id=”1339,323,1059,1325,324,257,322,6459″]
In the book “Into His Likeness” by Edward Sri, he says, “A lot is riding on our commitment to daily prayer. First of all, our relationship with God depends on it!” I spend 50 minutes every morning with Scripture, devotional reading and just bringing my day’s events to God. This helps me to start the day with God on my side, and as we all know we need him now more than ever. This time I spend in quiet has become my favorite time of the day. Of course, there are those mornings when life gets in the way and I don’t have 50 minutes to spare, but I always find some time during the day to connect with God — even if it’s 10 minutes. My morning drive is a great time to talk with God, either through silent prayer or through Christian music. If you listen very closely to the songs, you will find they are praising God. Someone once told me that singing is like praying twice — so turn up the radio and sing along — God doesn’t judge if you can hold a tune or not, just that you are praying to him.
I have a plaque that hangs by the door that reads, “This is God, I’ll be handling all your problems today.” When my day starts off bad or good, this plaque reminds me that God is with me always.
Prayer is your special time with God. Don’t you deserve to spend time with your father?
Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. Matthew 21:22
*In May, I will be completing my two-year commitment to grow spiritually through the IMPACT program offered through the archdiocese. These two years have been a journey of discovering more about the Catholic faith and my role in bringing the faith to others. I have enjoyed this unique opportunity and encourage anyone who is interested in this lay formation program to consider joining the new cohort this fall.
Laurie Schill and her husband, David, have been married for 27 years and live in Marion. They have two daughters, Elizabeth, who will be graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in May with an elementary education degree, and Bridget, who is a junior at St. Ambrose University studying nursing. They are members of St. Joseph’s in Marion.
The Disciple’s Corner is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Dubuque’s Office of Faith Formation and Education and is funded through the Archdiocesan Educational Development Board. It is designed to help catechists, teachers, parents, grandparents, guardians and other adults grow in their appreciation of their role as disciples of Jesus Christ.
[/ms-protect-content]
[ms-membership-login]
