All I wanted to do was get dinner on the table.

My 1-year-old had ransacked our apartment, with books, blocks, pots, pans, and Cheerios everywhere. My stomach rumbled with hunger, I had loads of laundry to do after a week away, and my husband wouldn’t be home until late. 

When my son yanked open the cabinet under the kitchen sink for the countless time—pulling out the dishwasher detergent with delight—I lost it. “No!” I snapped at him, and he promptly burst into tears. 

Shame immediately washed over me like a wave. I knelt down and hugged my baby, rocking him back and forth as I prayed:

Lord, give me patience and the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). I ask for joy in You and in the seemingly mundane parts of daily life. Thank you for this sweet son You’ve given me. He is a good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Help me to fix my eyes on You.

Prayer is not my natural inclination. Rather than running to the Lord, I wallow in worry and fear. I try to control situations on my own. I am quick to snap at others. I fail to be patient, joyful, and content. And often, I entirely ignore entirely God’s call on my heart to pray. 

God tells us to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Do make our requests known to God? Do we pray with thanksgiving? He knows us intimately (Psalm 139:1-6), and He hears us when we call on Him (Jeremiah 29:12). 

Christ went to the cross for our sins. He died and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He has swallowed up death in victory! (1 Corinthians 15:55) He alone can provide peace and joy in the midst of a pandemic, school closures, job losses, loneliness, illness, and grief. He is the light of the world (John 8:12), illuminating any darkness we face. 

In his book Prayer, Timothy Keller writes,

"Prayer is both conversation and encounter with God... We must know the awe of praising His glory, the intimacy of finding His grace, and the struggle of asking His help, all of which can lead us to know the spiritual reality of His presence."

We’re given the gift of prayer to communicate with God whenever we want. The God of heaven and earth wants to talk to us. Knowing that fills my heart with wonder and hope. 

Prayer should be a regular rhythm of our lives. Let us be women who start each day conversing with our Father and who continue that conversation without end.

May we be slow to speak and quick to listen. May we trust in our Father who is always good and always faithful. May prayer become the hallmark of our lives. May we “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)