"Prayin'"

I’m convinced that if we’re prayin’,

It’s the best thing we can do,

The Good Lord says He hears us,

And faithfully comes through,

With just the thing we’ve needed,

And always is on time,

Although we sometimes wonder,

If all will work out fine.

It’s good to see a cowboy,

Take off his hat and kneel,

Bow his head, cry out to God,

Yes, that’s the way I feel.

And when they’re at the rodeo,

And it comes time to pray,

Everyone gets still and quiet,

Reminds of yesterday.

You’ll find from clown to pick up man,

And back home on the ranch,

Prayer runs through the things they do,

And they wouldn’t take a chance,

On leaving out the Good Lord,

To be politically correct,

And still they ask in Jesus’ name,

And always will, I ‘spect.

God often sends a miracle,

And changes everything,

A wonder when He does it,

Will make your old heart sing.

At other times the miracle,

It only changes you,

But either way He’ll answer,

And knows just what to do.

We ask the Lord for healing,

Whenever one gets sick,

We know the Lord can do it,

Whether slowly or right quick.

We put it in the Lord’s hands,

And ask His will be done,

Our bodies all belong to Him,

We know the battle’s won.

We pray for all our loved ones,

That they’ll be saved and know,

That Jesus has a plan for them,

Their lives His Word will grow.

We bind ‘em to His very best,

And loose them in His name,

From every evil bondage,

So they’ll never be the same.

We pray for all our leaders,

Those in authority,

That God will give them wisdom,

And may peace always be.

And pray, God, for our country,

For revival that we need,

Another great awakening,

The harvest of God’s seed.

And finally we ask for,

The Spirit’s daily pow’r,

That He fills to overflowing,

Our days from hour to hour.

That everything we do and say,

Will bring the Good Lord praise,

And we will live full out for Him,

Till the ending of our days.

“Never stop praying…” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NLT)

The older translation says: “…pray without ceasing…” Is it really possible for us to have that kind of consistency? Absolutely! And here’s why. We can develop the habit of what has been called conversational prayer. This means we are in an ongoing conversation with the Lord all day long. It is a mental exercise that keeps the Lord at the center of our thoughts, and so nothing happens that we do not intentionally share with Him. We are giving ourselves to Him as we go, praising Him and making requests, listening for His direction, and trusting Him to help us. The Holy Spirit will lead us into this lifestyle of prayer, and we will find that it becomes totally natural to function this way. The first disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray. We should, too, and the good news is: HE WILL!

Lord, teach us to pray, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bruce Greene, brucegreeneart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bruce, and God bless you.