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T

he preacher man said that we should pray in all things.

If he was talking to me, he was preaching to the choir.

I’m all into prayer. Maybe, I don’t pray without ceasing.  But I do thank the Lord every morning and ask His guidance for the day. Then I stay online most of the day. Yes, the preacher was talking to the choir.

But, my mind drifted from what the preacher had to say about prayer to the kinds of prayers that I send up.

Most of them are frivolous prayers. Please help me find the car keys, my check card, my billfold, the scissors, the cat…

Lord, please don’t let it be the transmission. Lord, help me remember her name. Lord, did I put salt in the potatoes? Lord, don’t let the bug man see me in my pajamas. Lord, where am I supposed to be going?

Then, there are the prayers when I’m asking God to get me out of something. And, Lord knows, I’ve prayed my share of those.

Lord, if you’ll just let me get my feet on the ground you won’t ever catch me in an airplane again. Lord, if you just won’t let anybody see me in here, I’ll never step foot in this place again. Lord, if you’ll just help me keep my mouth shut.

God has gotten my feet back on the ground. And, since nobody saw me after all – well, it was a fun kind of place. And, some folks need to be told a thing or two.

As I sat on that hard church pew, I got to thinking that I’m long into the asking and pleading kinds of prayers but I’m mighty short on the thanking kind of prayers – the ones thanking God for the many things that He has done for me. That’s where I’m falling way down.

There are so many times a day, I have an opportunity to thank God for His many blessings. But it’s usually at night when I close my eyes that I whisper to Him in thanks for family, health, friends, home and freedom and those who defend it.

Not often do I pause to thank God for the sunset that brings the day to a close or the slice of moon or its fullness of a cold, crisp night. Not often do I thank Him for the songs of the night birds or a cool, gentle breeze or the drifting leaves that signal His presence or the way a smile or kind word lifts me.

The Bible says that, in all things, we should give thanks to the Lord.

There’s a song or maybe it’s a poem that says, Whisper a prayer in the morning. Whisper a prayer at noon. Whisper a prayer in the evening to keep your heart in tune.

Whispered prayers are always those of thanks.

I’m learning to whisper more.