In a prayer

Dan Rather once asked Mother Teresa, "What do you say to God when you pray?"

Mother Teresa answered quietly, "I listen."

Taken aback, Rather tried again, "Well then" he said, "What does God say to you?"

Mother Teresa smiled and said; "He listens."

My name is Valerie Smith and the title of my talk is WE ARE THE CHURCH-A PRAYING PEOPLE.

In the book, Just like Jesus, author Max Lucado writes: How long has it been since you let God have you? I mean really have you? How long since you gave him a portion of undiluted, uninterrupted time listening to His voice? Apparently, Jesus did. He made a deliberate effort to spend time with God. If Jesus, the Son of God, the sinless Savior of humankind, thought it worthwhile to clear his calendar to pray-wouldn't we be wise to do the same?

There are days when we seem to have no time at all. No time for ourselves, no time for our family or friends, and mostly, no time for God. Being a waitress, wife, and a mother of three very unique children, I feel as though I'm always in a hurry. There's always something that needs to be done. Time slips away from us and before you know it, it's time to start all over again. Thank God for Sundays, the day we have the time and energy to give God some serious attention. We're supposed to pray without ceasing. We're supposed to pray continually. The Bible tells us this time and time again. He wouldn't have said it if He didn't mean it. Where can I buy the magic wand that will help me do this?

I've always prayed. But I got to the point where I was doing what I thought was just enough to get by. Enough to say honestly I pray everyday. Outside of praying in times of trauma, illness or death, my daily prayer life can be pretty ordinary. I pray with my family at meal times. We've taught our children to pray, and I pray with them at bedtime. I pray before I go to bed. Sometimes I pray when I get up. But not always….

1 Thessalonians reads: Be joyful always. Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

When I was a little girl, I was taught the basic prayers. "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest", "now I lay me down to sleep". And lest we forget "Our Father who art in heaven." The same prayers I have taught my children. I was taken to church every Sunday, and even went to the local Lutheran grade school. So I guess one could suppose that I had had enough of a Christian education that I would have a grasp on how, when and why to pray. I guess I did. With a child's understanding that is. My grownup understanding is a bit different.

It was drilled into my head at a young age that God hears all our prayers. He knows all our thoughts, all our desires. He loves us. This is most certainly true. But there was a time in my life I doubted all these things. When I was young, I experienced a series of traumatic events. They changed the way I looked at the world and how I looked at God. They affected my relationship with everyone I have been close to. I had lost trust. Trust in myself. Trust in my ability to know what was real and what was not. Trust in adults, most of all men. And worst of all (pause) I had lost trust in God to answer my prayers. Let me tell you, when that goes, life is pretty much all downhill from there.

I prayed for years for God to end my torment. The pain that I was in was so dark and deep that there seemed to be only one way out. Each morning when I woke up I was disappointed that I had to face another day. There seemed to be no point to it. My heart and mind were covered in this thick cloud of depression and self-destruction. Don't get me wrong, there were moments when I felt God's love and His warm embrace, but I grew cynical. I had had enough "unanswered" prayers … that I really didn't care if God loved me or not. Scary thought, huh?

During my late teens and early twenties, my life was scary. I didn't have to work hard to do stupid things. When depression has it's ugly grip on you, stupid things are easy to do. Self-destruction here I come. I got pregnant at 19. Married at 20. Divorced at 21. This guy was the classic "guy your mother warns you about". He was alcoholic, unemployed and recently released from prison. The depression convinced me that this man was the right choice for a husband and father.

I did say things got scary, didn't I? Our life together consisted of hiding from the cops or someone he owed money to. He didn't give up his life of crime and I didn't really care. I'd given up prayer. I'd given up on myself. My heart and mind were so clouded. I was sure that this was my lot in life. One man's toy and another man's punching bag. I just accepted it. But out of all of this that was inflicted upon me, the one that was the worst was what I inflicted on myself. The feeling of being utterly alone.

If God had not put Ryan, my oldest son, into my life, I know I would've thrown in the towel and either let my ex-husband beat me to death or I would've done it myself. This is where life can lead when you don't keep in touch with God. There's no greater loneliness.

Thank God for Ryan. Thank God for my husband Jerry. Thank God for my mom. It was my mom who nagged me to go back to church. The best advice she ever gave me by the way. It was my husband who gave me love and support while I was fighting my demons and cleaning out my proverbial closets. And it was the birth of my first child that first reminded me what giving and receiving unconditional love feels like. It reminded me of God's love.

For so many years I prayed for what I thought I wanted. I prayed for what I thought I needed. My clouded mind wouldn't let the truth be understood. The whole time God was listening to my heart. When I prayed for the pain to end, God heard my heart and gave me hope instead. When I yelled and screamed at God, he heard my heart and gave me understanding and acceptance. When I prayed for death, He heard my heart and gave me life.

I couldn't understand all these things when they were happening, but let me tell you, my eyes are open wide now and like the song goes. I can see clearly now, the pain is gone. He gives us each what we need when we need it. It is His schedule, not ours. Don't ever convince yourself that God does not hear you. Through my struggles, through OUR struggles, He is preparing me, preparing us, for His purpose. Through prayer, He has given me peace. (PAUSE)

Romans 8:26 reads: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

You see, our prayers change as we change. Mine did. The more I learned to be still and listen, the more I saw God at work in my life. Prayer is unique. As unique as we are. Prayer is discovering what the Lord wants for us and from us. Prayer is listening to what God is trying to tell us. Prayer is deepening your relationship with God. Since I've learned these simple truths, truths that my child mind couldn't grasp, my prayer life has become much fuller and so much richer. Sometimes, we can't find the right words. When words are hard to find, listen. Give your mind over to God - and listen. Prayer is having a conversation and you can't have an honest conversation without closing our mouths and listening to what the other has to say. That was my mistake. I'd stop listening to God. I was doing all the talking, which means that I really wasn't praying.

As -----Max explained last night, God has called us each to be CHURCH. To be Jesus with skin on to others. Pastor Griff told us about God's saving grace, which enables us to enter into a personal relationship with Him. The first tool we need to respond to this call is study. June delivered a great message earlier today about the importance of studying God's words in our quest to learn about Him. Getting to know God is also done through prayer. It is the second tool we need to discover God and what He wants for us. This is the vertical aspect of the cross, (USE YOUR HANDS) The call from God and our response through honest conversation with Him.

There are many elements to prayer and we should do our best to incorporate each of these in our daily prayer lives. The first is ADORATION, 'Father, I adore you…how I love you.' Next is CONFESSION, 'I am so sorry for the sins I have committed against you today.'' Then there is THANKSGIVING, 'Thank you Father, for this new day.' SUPPLICATION is next, 'this I humbly and earnestly ask.' And lastly, INTERCESSION , 'grant your peace to my hurting friend.' Intercessory prayer is one horizontal aspect of the cross. Reaching out to others through prayer. Praying for the safety and well being of others. When we pray we EXPOSE and SURRENDER our lives to God. We put our trust in Him that He will pour out His love upon us.

So where is that magic praying wand? We all know there isn't one. But, Christ made it simple for us. He said that temples aren't necessarily necessary. You can pray right where you are. At any moment you wish. Let your kitchen become a cathedral. Let your drive to work become a pilgrimage. Give God your waking thoughts. Before facing the day, face the Father. Give God your waning thoughts. End your day with Him. Unload. Thank him for the good parts, question him about the hard parts, seek his mercy, ask his forgiveness, and seek his strength. Pray everyday. I've committed more time to chat with God and I find that my days are easier. Let's face it, there is always something going on in our life that needs to be prayed about. Find a time that is right for you. But the most important aspect of prayer is to always ask that God's will be done.

Make praying a habit. If you are a beginner, just starting out with praying daily, recite a prayer that you already know by heart. The Lord's prayer is a good one to say when you can't find the right words. Sometimes, my husband will just say the serenity prayer over and over when words don't come to him. This is a good meditative tool. It helps to clear your mind.

Post-it notes are also a wonderful tool. Write on them things like "pray for a friend" or "give thanks". Stick one on the bathroom mirror. Place another one on the coffee maker, wherever in your house that you would be able to see it daily. Whenever you see one of these reminders, take a few seconds to offer up a prayer. After a few days of this, you'll be finding reasons on your own to pray.

Another thing you can do is to keep a prayer journal. Record the things that you pray about each day. Keep track of how God answered your prayer. Pay attention to your day and you will definitely see how God is at work in your life. Pay attention and you will notice how other people have been God with skin on to you and how you have been God with skin on to others. You will see how God uses others to answer your prayers.

Mark 11:24 reads: Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

From Philippians 4: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And my personal favorite, John 11:41; Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me.

Why pray? Prayer unites me with God. Prayer unites me with myself. And prayer unites me with you.

WE ARE THE CHURCH.

XXXXX

Valerie Smith is a mother of three.