Simple words, yes...but oh so true!

Yesterday as I drove to the walking track I heard a news update (I haven't had a tv in 3 ish weeks, so I'm out of the loop on life information). They talked about some Presidental topics (him meeting with Israel and Palestine officials), and some hightened safety concern issues. As I got out of my car and began to run the Lord convicted me, "Andrea, when was the last time you prayed for the President, or even our country?" "Uh, Lord, that's a good question." Ya needless to say as I begin to run, I began to pray.

My absence of praying for our country, started another thought of prayer in general and how key it is in our walk with the Lord. This summer I worked at a family kamp were I got to spend some quality time with some pretty cool 5 & 6 year olds. The theme was WIPEOUT, and the goal was to teach these young guys what they needed in their life to keep them (the I and the U) from experiencing a WIPEOUT. One of the topics was prayer, and this is part of the story we used to teach this concept. In this story you will see a Cheif Surfer (A guy who is the best surfer of all, people came from miles around to watch him surf, and to learn how to surf just like him. You see he also wrote a book that explained surfing, that was passed from generation to generation). The other little guy in the story is Sammy, he was 5 and he wanted to grow up and be the best surfer around. His parents had bought him the surfing book by the Cheif Surfer and read it to him daily, but honestly he didn't understand everything they read to him until...

One day Sammy met the Chief Surfer on the beach. He saw first hand how well the Chief Surfer surfed and he wanted to surf just like Him. His parents bought him the book the Chief Surfer had written to teach young and old to ride all kinds of waves and they read it to him daily. Sammy would then go to the beach to put into practice what his parents read the night before; yet surfing didn’t happen as easily as he thought it would. Until one day he got the chance to talk with the Chief Surfer himself, and ask Him to help teach him the things he’d been reading in the book.  What great knowledge Sammy earned from spending time with the Chief Surfer. After this first encounter with the Chief Surfer Sammy knew he must daily find a way to meet with Him and talk about his struggles with surfing. The Chief Surfer listened with great ease and gave such wisdom to the answers given to the young boy; He was also there to celebrate the days and times Sammy successfully conquered the big waves. Every day the young boy would go to the beach to not only put into practice what the Chief Surfers book said, but also to spend time with the Chief Surfer so he would better understand who the Chief Surfer was and how He surfed as well as He did. Spending time with the Chief Surfer in conversation showed Sammy a new way of surfing. This way of surfing didn’t free him from experiencing wipeouts, yet he could tell when following the lead of the Chief Surfer the wipeouts were never as bad! Because of the time spent together on the beach, Sammy knew when he did experience a wipeout the Cheif Surfer would be there to pick him back up and put him on his feet!


Just like Sammy daily spent time with the Chief Surfer we get to daily spend time with Jesus. This time spent talking with Jesus is called prayer. Praying is a time where we get to talk with Jesus and tell Him how we are feeling (happy, mad, glad, sad), if we need help doing something, or asking Him to forgive us if we’ve done something wrong. Sammy spent time with the Chief Surfer and learned a lot about surfing and that is exactly what we will experience when we daily spend time talking with Jesus about life and how He wants us to live. We will begin to better understand who Jesus is and how we can grow to be more like Him every day. What a blessing it is that the Lord has provided us His word the Bible as well as a tool such a prayer where we can communicate with Him. The Lord knows us so well from the inside out and He wants us to take time to know Him as well, and we do that by living what the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians which is to pray always.
How often as big people do we get into the place of praying only on occasions? We are called to pray continually- I challenge you (and myself) what has the Lord put on your heart lately that deserves some attention through prayer? Open the lines of communication today and let the Lord be the filter by which you do everything by first seeking Him in prayer.

2 Chronicle 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

                                           Simple words? yes...But oh so true.. be blessed!