One of the things that I noticed about myself is that I pray frequently. I pray before I leave the house to go to work. I pray when I come home from work. I pray before I eat my dinner. I pray before I sleep. This is not me trying to flex (as the kids say), but it is something that I want to share, because I believe in the power of prayer. I believe God listens to every single prayer that we send to Him.
Every time we pray, we are essentially talking to Him directly. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. God allows us to talk to Him directly. The creator of the Universe, not only allows us to talk to Him but He wants us to talk to Him.
God is truly amazing.
However, one of the things that I noticed this week is that I do not pray before my meals when I am at work, or when I’m out with my friends.
When I’m at home, I say prayers often, but when I’m out at work or in public, I usually forget that I should even pray. It’s actually kind of sad.
The times that I do remember to pray, I get too nervous and embarrassed for some reason. I will usually say a quick prayer in my head, but with my eyes wide open, pretending that I’m not praying and just focusing on the food that I’m about to eat.
I’m currently on 2 Kings right now in my Bible readings. One of the things that stood out to me was the prophets. The prophets were people that spoke on God’s behalf.
Elijah is a prophet in the Bible and one of the things that amazes me about him is that he is pretty brave. Elijah loved God and he was not afraid to let his love be known. He was not afraid to stand up to Ahab (an evil king).
This kind of made me question myself a bit.
I am fortunate to live in a place where no one is trying to destroy me for my beliefs. I am allowed to pray whenever and wherever I would like. However, when I’m at work, I get too scared to pray to the God who is in full control.
God blessed me with everything that I have and I can’t give Him the thanks that He deserves because I’m at work?
Elijah was confronting kings for their wrongdoings and I can’t even pray in public?
I know this is a bit sad, but there is a good chance that you might be in the same position as me.
Maybe you also struggle to pray in public. Maybe your anxiety won’t allow it. Maybe you’re too nervous of what your friends might think, or what your colleagues might think.
As I challenge myself, I would like to challenge you to not forget God, even when you’re at work. When God provides you with a delicious meal while in public with your friends, don’t be afraid to say a thank you to Him. Give him a real thank you. A nice, genuine prayer of gratitude and thanks. And try not to say it super fast either. Embrace it. Be grateful.
Thank you!