Praying

I've been using a new book to help me follow Jesus, a book called 'Habits of Grace' by David Mathis. It reads like a seasoned classic, like something that might have been written long ago by a 'great' of the Christian faith, but without the difficult language. Even so, the chapters are deep and deserve quiet thought.

Last night the author reminded me that God initiates contact with us. He is the 'God of all grace' (1 Peter 5:10). In that part of the Bible, where there are worries and dangers and sufferings, there is a God of all grace who will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish the one who casts all their cares on Him.

In the great privilege of prayer, we don't just 'talk to God', we actually talk to a God who has been working around us and has communicated to us, and so is waiting for us to talk to Him. When we talk to Him, we unburden our thoughts and cares and difficulties on Him, trusting that He will 'restore, confirm, strengthen and establish' us.

As someone who follows Jesus living in the UK, my worries range from health issues to emotional cares, and my need for a 'God of all grace' is great because of my own propensity to try to manage everything myself. For Christians living in other countries, I am reminded by the news that their cares and dangers are more acute, often involving their lives, and 1 Peter 5 rightly mentions the persecutions of Christians throughout the world.

What a gift prayer is. It is a time to cast my anxieties on the One who loved me first, who has initiated contact, who is waiting for me to bow in prayer.