Written by Kat Bittner, member of Iron Rose Sister Ministries Board of Directors in Colorado Springs, CO
If the events of 2020 have taught us anything, it’s that life here on earth is increasingly unpredictable. Political unrest, social chaos, and a global pandemic left many of us questioning, “What next?” Some in the faith may have even wondered when God would just end it all and call us home. Amid all the ambiguity and anxiety, how do we settle our hearts into a state of rest? How do we find peace?
Peace amidst all the trouble can only be found in real relationship with God. A real relationship with God entails regular communication with Him. It depends on regular prayer. And if there was ever a time for developing or improving our prayer with God, 2020 was the catalyst for doing just that. Prayer has always been our intercessory means to God. It’s like fuel to an engine or water for the body. It is a crucial part of our life. And prayer is paramount to relationship with God.
Personally, 2020 redefined prayer as an immediate and more deliberate intercourse with God. It became a daily interchange with God rather than the occasional speaking to God. My prayers now involve a reading of Scripture followed by moments of silent reflection so that I might listen to what God has to say to me, too. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jer. 33:3, NKJV).
Prayer has become a genuine dialogue in that respect rather than a one-sided discourse. I call on God and He listens. “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you” (Jer. 29:12, NKJV). He calls me to Him and I listen. “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart" (Prov. 4:20-21, NKJV). Through prayer, God and I come together mutually. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8, NKJV). As a result of this reciprocity in our relationship with God, His peace envelopes us. And when we accept the peace He offers us, we can assuage the anxiety of this world. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NKJV).
Prayer is key. It is key to relationship with God. It is key to accepting the peace offered in Jesus Christ. And prayer is key to the unpredictability of our life here on earth. We need only to be mindful of it. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17, NKJV). Will you be mindful of prayer? Will you, too, be redefined by it?