The theme for our church this year has an emphasis on prayer and praise. We hope to echo this in our home in 2015 also. Two simple words that Christians undoubtedly take for granted. When you consider the direct access we have to The Lord, along with the credit He deserves for all our blessings, you would think it would impact our lives more. You would think it would affectation our attitude and actions.
I am amazed when I really think about the ability to pray directly to the one who spoke and created the world I see everyday. The one who allows the miracle of life to happen has time for me and cares for me as if I am the only person on earth. Regardless of life's struggles, we have the greatest friend in our corner. Not only that, but He desires to hear from us. That alone has always been too much for me to wrap my mind around. God knows what I am thinking even before I know, yet He is longing to hear from me. With such a friend, we should want more and more communication.
I think of praise as giving credit where it is due. I could write for a long time describing God's blessings in my life. He certainly deserves this praise. Our family has had needs met that make no earthly sense. We've seen money for a bill show up at the eleventh hour. This past year we seen God take our business from a dream to a true reality. He has opened doors in the first eight months that we expected to take years. Sometimes God acts in such a blatant way that is undeniable. However, He deserves credit for it all, big and small. We should be grateful for another day of life. We should praise Him for basic needs we take for granted like food, shelter, freedom, and family. My wife and I sometimes talk about the grace of God in our lives. We were both on a path to destruction until God stepped in. He transformed our house into a Christian home. He made something beautiful out of our train wreck. Not because we are anything special, but He truly is.
Pray and praise should be evident in our lives daily. We have access to the creator who cares about every boring detail of our life. We have the Holy Spirit inside us. He loves us and wants what is best for us. How can we fail? Our Lord deserves our praise for everything from salvation to answering the smallest prayer. It is interesting that Christians never get the agony of what we deserve and God rarely get the credit for His mercy shown to us.
