Praying

I don't ordinarily pray much. I know we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing, but I just never got in the habit of it. But this week I have prayed much more than usual.

At the church I attend, we wear stick-on paper name tags. Last week after the service, I noticed Lois was wearing her own name tag, and another that said “Lydia.” I asked her why she was wearing Lydia's name tag, and she said it was an idea Paul had come up with: take another person's name tag with you, and use it as a reminder to pray for that person during the week. And so I took Lois's name tag. When I was telling Mike about it, he asked that I pray for him, too. So, I wrote Mike's name on the tag, and stuck it to the dashboard of my car. Whenever I get in the car, and now and then while I am driving, I see that tag with Lois's and Mike's names on it, and I pray for them. I have been in the habit of sticking my own name tag to the dashboard when I get in the car after church, and now when I see it there, it's a reminder to pray for myself, also. And once I get started, I usually pray for other people I know, or for situations in the world that need praying for.

I now find myself praying at other times, too, and I like it. For whatever reason, it makes me feel good. It is perhaps as Soren Kierkegaard said, “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” It's been less than a week, but I do find that my praying has been changing me. I pray for people I love, and I find I feel my love for them grow stronger. I plan to keep putting up reminders to pray until the habit becomes ingrained in me and I no longer need reminders.

If you don't currently pray much, try it. Stick a reminder to pray on the dashboard of your car, or on your refrigerator, or wherever you'll see it often during the week, and pray each time you see it. If my experience is any indication, it will soon become a habit, and you'll be glad you did it.