You Don’t Have to Pray

Chapter Five of Dance Stand Run is called "Teach Us How to Pray" and here's just a tiny snippet of it. Enjoy! 

You don't have to pray. Really, you don't have to. 

If you’ve believed that grace covers you and you don’t have to pray - I'm here to say something you might not expect. You don’t have to. But in Jesus’s name, you get to. Psalm 84:10 says that one day in the house of God is better than a thousand anywhere else. That’s some truth we can stand on, and the simplest way I can reiterate it is this: talking to God is better than talking to your sister, watching Netflix, drinking coffee, exercising, chocolate, sex, reading fiction, searching on Pinterest, or doing your makeup. It just is. Not because it’s good for you like going to the doctor is good for you. It’s good for you because your soul is hidden in Christ and most at home with the Spirit of God working on your behalf as you communicate with God your Father.

“Talking to God is better than talking to your sister, watching Netflix, drinking coffee, exercising, chocolate, sex, reading fiction, searching on Pinterest, or doing your makeup.”

Prayer is better for you than all those things because our God is the author of peace, comfort, love, truth, beauty, joy, abundance, grace, mercy, and life. Talking to God, just being in communication with Him, is where heaven invades earth and we experience a little of eternity in the midst of our everyday. And the craziest part? Because we’re walking suits of the Spirit, image bearers of an unseen God moving and living here on earth, we can talk to God while we do all those things! However, I still think it’s beneficial for us to have moments set aside wherein He gets our undivided attention, because why wouldn’t we want the love of God, unfiltered and uninterrupted? If you could have one-on-one time with your best friend, you’d take that over a quick catch-up while you’re doing your makeup, right?

“Because we’re walking suits of the Spirit, image bearers of an unseen God moving and living here on earth, we can talk to God while we do all those things! ”

The argument that you might not have time to spend with God is just a little silly, because you have your entire day. Talk to Him while you’re driving your kids around. Talk to Him while you’re in the shower or using the bathroom. Get chatty with the King of Kings while you’re walking the dog or doing the dishes, and cry out to your Father while you’re putting on your blush or sorting through the mail. This is our holy and divine right as daughters of God, and it is not something we have to do; it’s what we get to do. It’s enjoyable. It’s fun. It’s literally life giving.

And here's my really super spiritual last line on prayer: try it, you'll like it. 

I know it doesn’t feel simple. I know you might have preconceived notions about what will happen. I understand that it might seem crazy to walk around the block and talk out loud to someone you can’t see. It seems totally fair that you might have negative feelings about prayer, God as a Father, and the act of humbling yourself.

But sweet friends, I’m begging you to try it. Not so you’ll be better, not so you’ll be a tidier Christian, not so we’ll all be on the same page. I’m begging you to try prayer, to stretch the limits of your relationship with Jesus, because I believe you will be happier. I think you’ll feel more at peace. I believe you will experience more of the spiritual fruit that has already been purchased for you, simply by placing your faith in an unseen relationship and acting on it. My friends, whatever camp you’re in, I’m saying that to dance, stand, and run in our beautiful faith looks like prayer. It looks like talking to God with the expectation that He hears us. And I don’t think we should do it, I think we get to do it. So let’s.