Texting God

Let me ask you a question. How’s your prayer life? 

If you’re anything like me you just broke out into a nervous sweat. In the past, my prayer life consisted of a minute or two of actual prayer followed by 28 minutes of spiritual warfare between guilt over my inability to stay focused and wondering if the sun would look better in a summer dress or a tuxedo. Than I discovered the secret to prayer that has set me free.  

Get rid of your prayer life.

The very nature of the phrase “Prayer life” is something that I think breaks the heart of God. The phrase Implies I have my normal life and a separate “prayer life” with a designated time, place and agenda. Once I have completed my prayer time I am free to step back into my normal life. 

Imagine you have a spouse. In the morning you wake up early, sit on the porch and pour your heart out to them connecting like never before. You share your passions, your fears, your needs and lavish them with love. When your 30 minute timer goes off you get up, walk out the door and go about your day eager for your meeting tomorrow morning. 

Now, imagine you wake up next to the the same spouse. You say good morning, thank them for everything they have done and with an “I love you” and a kiss you head for work. As you are sitting in traffic you think of a joke that you quickly text to your spouse. Walking into the office you see something that reminds you of an experience you shared with them so you send them a picture of it with a short message “remember this lol”. As you prepare for a meeting you send a quick email telling them how nervous you are.  All day long this continues. Quick texts, picture messages and notes. Nothing lengthy, simply sharing your life with them. Staying connected. This is what I believe God desires from us. 

The bible tells us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17) but in the very next verse it tells us to give thanks in everything. This is not about praying continuously but about staying connected to our father in EVERYTHING that happens in our lives! 

Every time you look down at your phone and see those 5 bars, you know that if you ever have problem or want to share a joyful moment with someone all you have to do is dial the number. You are connected. Even in the moments between contact the knowledge that someone is only a text away keeps you connected to them. This is what God wanted from me but instead all I was offering was a designated “phone time” for God to get in touch with me.  When we change our mindset about prayer it frees us up to a greater dialog and truly connects us to Him.   

Question: What have you changed that has led to a greater relationship with God?