May is just around the corner, and as we slowly begin reopening and emerging from our shelter-in-place orders, none of us know exactly what this next month holds. Will it be more of the same? Or will things start to get back to some semblance of "normal", whatever that new "normal" may be? In the midst of this uncertainty, now would be as good a time as ever for all of us to rethink how we think about prayer. Perhaps our prayer lives have been stuck in a rut. Maybe our old way of praying, or our old way of thinking about prayer, needs a reset, a reboot, a restart. Maybe we need to think differently about prayer, repent of our old ways. Philippians 4:6 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" I don't know about you, but in our present circumstances, it's hard not to feel anxious about all kinds of different things. Is it possible for us to not be pulled apart, pulled in opposite directions, divided, to go to pieces, in the midst of trouble and the inevitable storms of life? In the very next verse, God promises us that the result of prayer is "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus". Prayer is the precursor to peace in the midst of any and every situation we may find ourselves in. So how's your prayer life?Prayer is not about religious duty or obligation. Prayer is not about appearances. Prayer is not a performance. Prayer is not about an abundance of words or repetition. For followers of Jesus, those who have put their hope, faith & trust in Jesus and what Jesus accomplished on our behalf on the cross, prayer is about privileged position. Jesus has given us access to a new relationship with the God who created the Universe and holds it in a coffee mug in his hand. We are no longer strangers to God. We are no longer estranged from God. We are not insignificant specks of dust marooned on an insignificant speck of dust planet in the Universe. In Jesus, we are now adopted sons and daughters of God. God is our Father, who knows us, is attentive to our voices, and who loves us dearly. Jesus has made it possible for us to have the same kind of intimate relationship with God that he has. Jesus constantly referred to God as Father in his personal prayers, something which prior to Jesus, nobody did. The only time Jesus referred to God as God in prayer was in that horrible moment when he cried out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus went from referring to God as Father to God as God so that we would be in the privileged position to go from referring to God as God to God as Father. Let that reality sink in. Take a few minutes each day this week to consider the fact that God has given you the privileged position of son or daughter, and that prayer is about this intimate relationship and connection you now have with your Father in heaven because of Jesus!

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