Pray Always

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Mark 12:30, NIV

I have a great job. I get to work at a fitness facility in member services. This job was a complete Godsend, and although I can’t get into that right now, I want to share how God spoke to me recently, while at work, about serving Him with all that I am and have. 

So, my job can be stressful and busy at times. No biggie, I love it. But the other day, I hadn’t slept well the night before and was exhausted all day. Little things drained me, and I was more easily distracted than usual, which, if you spend time with me, being easily distracted is one of my more obvious character traits. 

As I walked to the locker room, I looked at the pool, trying to decide whether swimming would be my workout, and noticed the lifeguard. Lifeguards are not allowed to use their phones or wear earbuds, for obvious reasons. So, they sit on their chairs, quietly and intently watching the pool, even when no one is in it. 

For a minute, I thought how boring that must be, but how nice it would be to be that quiet and slow occasionally. And then I thought, “If I were a lifeguard, I would have so much more time to pray,” and pictured myself praying all day, long prayers that would increase my communion with Christ. In that one moment, God corrected my heart and reminded me that, although I might not be able to sit quietly at my job for extended periods of time, I can pray all day. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 immediately came to mind, which says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

God does not want us to think that, if our lives looked different, we would be better equipped to serve Him. Instead, we are to rejoice and give thanks for who He has made us to be, what He has called us to do, and where He has placed us.

God does not require long prayers to establish intimacy with His children. Instead, Scripture tells us that our hearts are to be in continuous prayer, whether that is with numerous small prayers throughout the day, or longer prayer sessions when we have time to bring it all to God all at once. 

The fact is that we are connected with God every second of the day through the presence of the Holy Spirit, who is always with us and in us (John 14:17). It is because of His presence that we can maintain constant communion with God, connected to His heart and will, which, in turn, guides our prayers. 

All that God asks is one thing from us - love Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.