Short, sweet and to the point

I think everyone knows someone who takes forever to tell you something or ask a question. They throw in details you don't need to know or already knew. It was probably even this person who told you, but they forgot that they had told you - lol. This is actually one of my biggest pet peeves and I'm sure I became this way because of my brother - who has little to no tolerance for embellishment. I learned at an early age to just GET TO THE POINT !!!!

So then, it should be no surprise to me that God feels the same way! I bet I'm not the only one who didn't realize this. We've been taught in Sunday School to pray these long, beautifully worded prayers and to carve out time in our day to devote completely to prayer. But guess what - this is actually contradictory to what God tells us. He already knows our thoughts and concerns so he doesn't need the play by play. He simply needs the acknowledgement that we know He is in charge and ABLE to handle our needs/wants/concerns!

“Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

What this tells me is that He wants to hear from us all day long. Not that we have to be in continual prayer stance - but that to know that whenever we find ourselves with issues, we can go to him, voice our concern and then go about our day. Ever thought about how we text each other? Mostly simple things - quick questions, fleeting thoughts, etc. God wants that from us. He just wants to be on our minds as much as our friends and family are (and actually more so). Look at the Lord's prayer and recite it. It takes less than 30 seconds. That is the example of prayer Jesus gave to us. He taught us how..... It was not this long, drawn out, artfully worded script. It is short, sweet and to the point. Does God still want us to carve out time in our day for Him? Of course. But He also understands the humans that we are and knows we are terrible time managers. He is happy knowing that He is on our minds - just as we are when our children, friends, or relatives think of us.

Making ample time for God is important too but I think it comes naturally if we keep Him in our thoughts. Our own human relationships are a great example. When we need each other, we carve out the time. When we enjoy each other, we carve out the time. If we keep our peeps in our thoughts - it's only natural to make time to spend with them. Keep God in your circle. Send him a few mental text messages each day (i.e - prayer). The rest should fall into place.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!