To Pray or . . .

I’m sitting in my office.  Working on a sermon series.

Back in January I had calculated the date when my series on Acts would be completed.  This past Sunday "The End" came.  I feel a little lost — Acts has been a great launching pad and growth ground for my thoughts.

In January I also sensed that the following series should be on prayer.  Not because of some crisis.  Not because the "fad" is currently to preach on prayer.  Not even because all preachers "should" preach on prayer.

NO, just a sense that prayer is where I needed to go.

In some ways the days have crept up on me.  I’ve lived for the last few months almost totally with pencil in hand — revising my schedule daily and sometimes even hourly.  God has been gracious — just giving me enough to do in His strength and not my own.

I’ve been spending time each day praying.  For years I have daily prayed a short prayer for my children.  For these past few months I’ve prayed "unbounded" prayers — just a minute of prayer without a boundary, or an "intention", agenda or direction — just prayer to God which sometimes is unspoken because I’m not sure what all to pray — I just need to pray.  I’m also praying to God for healing — a gradual healing of my knees.  Occasionally I get some burden (often in a crisis) and I go for a strong dose of prayer.

I’d like to say I pray in total faith.  I can’t.  I pray with God in view, but sometimes it’s a bit cloudy.

I have big desires — to see our community change, to see Jesus expressed in this locale in terms people will understand, to have our own church continue to find unity in Jesus, to see my chidren racing with God, to expect more than I can imagine from God.

That’s just a start.  I have more prayers related to family, and friends, and education, and discipleship, and mentoring, and writing, and ministry, and . . .

I guess my prayers are a rather big conversation.  One I’m not always engaged in as much as I would like to be.  But one I sense is important.