Stop and think about the incredible privilege of prayer for a minute. You have the ability to communicate with God—the author of the world, your Creator—whenever and wherever you want. You don’t have to know a secret code, use any particular phrasing, or go through a priest. You can talk with God anytime. He is ready and willing to engage in conversation with you. In fact, he wants you to make talking to him a regular part of your day. As Paul wrote, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” (Col. 4:2).
When you immerse yourself in conversation with God, you do three things that act as catalysts for aligning your mind with his. When you talk to God, you acknowledge his existence; connect with him on a deeper level; and demonstrate your dependence on him.
[bctt tweet=”When you talk to God, you acknowledge his existence; connect with him on a deeper level; and demonstrate your dependence on him.” username=”nelsonsearcy”]When you pray, you demonstrate your belief in God’s existence. Ninety percent of Americans say they believe God is real. Out of the 90 percent, over 50 percent pray on a regular basis. That 50 percent is proving what they say they believe. To them, God isn’t just a concept or a question mark. He is an actual being they can engage with. Their actions give credence to their belief and acknowledge the tangible existence of God himself.
Interestingly, the 10 percent who say they don’t believe in God help to prove his existence just as powerfully as those who engage in regular prayer. While they may spend decades in debates trying to disprove the existence of a higher power (atheists) or contending that there is no way to know if there is a God (agnostics), self-proclaimed nonbelievers are quick to pray to the one they disavow when tragedy strikes. As the old saying goes, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” When the temporal is in turmoil, something inside every human being cries out for the eternal. We are wired for a connection with our Creator. It is crucial to our well-being.
Your relationship with God, if you are a Christian, is a bit like your relationship with your spouse, if you are married. On your wedding day, you stood in front of your family and friends and made a lifelong commitment to the person you love. You and your husband or wife to be recited vows, pledging to honor and cherish each other, had some cake, and then set out on your new life together. But then what? Did you stop talking to each other after the wedding was over? Of course not. If you had, your marriage would have crumbled more quickly than that cake. Instead, you started engaging in an ongoing conversation that creates a healthy married life.
[bctt tweet=”An initial connection with God happens when you submit your life to him, when you allow him to move into the core of your being and take control.” username=”nelsonsearcy”]So it is with God. An initial connection with God happens when you submit your life to him, when you allow him to move into the core of your being and take control. But that connection is just the beginning. God wants to continually deepen the relationship as you choose to engage him in conversation through daily prayer. Your prayers have the ability to move you into his presence and to put you in a position to hear what he wants to say to you.
– Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson
The above excerpt is from p. 190-191 of The New You: A Guide to Better Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Wellness.
With your copy of The New You, you will come away with specific strategies on how to lose weight, get more sleep, lower stress, nurture better relationships, connect with God and much more! Anyone who wants to trade in the frustration of average living and less-than health for the hallmarks of the new life God promises will find The New You an effective personal guide for the journey.
Your partner in ministry,
Nelson
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