Thoughts during a sermon

I hope y'all had a blessed Sunday. I certainly did. There's nothing like going to church to help a week feel back to normal.

Pastor preached in the morning about prayer.

A few things to think about:

When we're friends with someone, we talk.

If we're typical humans, we talk a lot. [grin]. And about everything under the sun.

But if we fall out of fellowship with someone? If we're mad at them? If our feelings are hurt?

We stop talking. Gone are the phone calls. Gone is the chitchat at home. Gone are the deep conversations.

Oh, we may be - probably are - formally polite; "Hi, how are you?" "Fine, thanks." Anybody can exchange pleasantries. But there is no true communication. You know those deep conversations I'm talking about; the ones you have in a quiet corner after the service is over...or the ones you have in bed with a sister late at night...or the ones you have on the phone when both of you are crying.

So what about prayer?

Ya know, when we are in fellowship with God, we talk with Him. A lot.

Am I the only person who sorta gulps when they hear that? Am I the only one who wonders "what does it mean if I DON'T talk to Him a lot?"

You know what I'm talking about here; not the pleasantries. In prayer, those would be the "bless the food" prayers, the ones you offer at family worship times, or the ones you are expected to offer during the day. The prayer you pray after you've read your standard chapter for the day.

Generally speaking, those are the "how are you?" "fine, thanks," prayers.

That isn't true communication. O, to pray without ceasing! To be constantly talking with my Lord!

Those are the things Pastor brought up during service yesterday morning. And here's something that the Spirit whispered to my heart privately while Pastor was speaking:

"Prayer is the natural breathing of the Christian. If I were the normal Christian, I would be talking to my Father a LOT. ...I don't pray like I should because I don't obey like I should."

If communication lines are broken when we are out of fellowship, and sin is what puts me out of fellowship...it doesn't take a genius to figure out why I don't pray.

Just something to think about.

Excuse me.

Just something to pray about.