Writing your story with God

When I started to write this post, I really struggled to write the first sentence. I thought about it, wrote a sentence, then deleted the whole thing again. I went through about five ideas before the mental trash can of ideas had begun to overflow and fresh ideas stopped coming to mind. So I went to the Lord in prayer, "Lord, I am not trying to say something complicated. I just need a good first sentence, then everything will flow perfectly afterwards. Please, let's write it together." Then I realized I received the direction for this post.

Pre-dawn prayer

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Don't be scared by the title of this section. It does not bite, and you're likely not allergic to it, so there's no need to worry. Let's just talk about this in a calm and orderly fashion before you close the browser window in pure shock. I promise you, it's going to be just fine.

If you stay, I will give you lots of candy.

If there is any one thing that my head Pastor taught me that has transformed me as a person as I walk my life of faith -- it's praying before the sun rises. I cannot go a single day without wanting to get up early in the morning, kneeling before God, and trying to connect with him. Yes, it can be difficult at first, but the rewards are worth much more than the handful of failures. When I offer a prayer in which I really connect with God, I find that connecting with Him the rest of the day becomes as easy as sending a text message to your best friend. And naturally, after having a day like that, I want to get up the next day only wanting more.

When I first tryed pre-dawn prayer I got up at 4:50 A.M. all groggy-eyed and rolled off my bed. Luckily I landed on my knees so at least I did not have to get into kneeling position. I folded my hands and closed my eyes and I just started speaking about various things and giving thanks to God for anything that really came to mind. When I could not think of anything else to be thankful for I ended with the classic "in your name I pray, amen" and ended my prayer. I looked at the clock and noticed ten minutes had passed so I went back to bed. 

No. Getting back into bed was not all that graceful either.

When I woke up later, I had actually woken up before my alarm went off. It was not the I-just-arose-from-slumber-after-1000-years kind of being awake either. I was freshly awake, so I turned off my alarm, got ready, and went to school. When I went to class that day I remember that my mind was more in tune with God in the sense that while I listened to the lecture, I realized things about the message that I heard recently, the Bible verses I read that morning, and about prayer in general. It was like He was next to me helping me understand the class material deeper through the word. 

Since trying it the first time, there have been failures of course. But failure only made me want to try even harder. When I tried like this every day, it not only deepened my faith, but my character had begun to change. I became more thankful, more lighthearted, more resilient to hardship, and less worried about my life.This, I realized, is one of the ways God blesses you. It is when you have the heart of putting in the effort to seek Him every day, that you find that he has blessed you in the process.

It's possible at this point you're still wondering, "But is it really necessary it be that early? Doesn't God hear you no matter what time of day?" It's true, God does not really take lunch breaks from hearing prayers. But in the case of prayer, the one that has to be prepared is you. When I pray during the day, my mind is full of the various things that I have to do that day, so even if I want to focus it will take some time. But, when I pray early like this, my mind is crystal clear and the environment is ideal for prayer. It really feels like you are alone with God.

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

There are actually several other reasons why pre-dawn prayer is so good based in both science and the Bible, but what's better than reasons that people give you are the reasons that you end up making for yourself. And that's what I realized during prayer. Praying in the pre-dawn is like writing the perfect first sentence that lays the foundation for a solid piece of writing. That piece of writing is the writing of every moment, the writing of every day, and the writing of your life. When you start everything by first praying to God, things will work out for you.

And, you'll have a great story to read later about you and God.

As for next post, I will continue to talk about prayer. But don't worry. I'll find a new way to talk about it so it will be fresh for everyone. Until then, enjoy praying!