It sits idle in your trunk or under your truck bed most every day. It is great to have one in a time of need. We rarely look at it unless there is an emergency. It is ready to be used at any moment. We just don’t even think about it until that moment in time arrives when we know we need it. As we drive and things are moving along, we just keep moving because we are doing fine without it. Suddenly, it happens at the time when we least expect it, and we are thankful and grateful it is there. It is your spare tire.
Recently while watching the new Kendrick movie, The Forge, an actress said something that really caught my attention. She said, “we can’t think of prayer as a spare tire.” So much truth in that simple statement. Prayer is not to be used just in emergencies. Prayer is not to be set aside until all of our own strength and knowledge has been exhausted. Prayer is not to be shelfed until a crisis falls in front of us. Jesus is not supposed to be The Last Resort. Prayer is not to be considered the same as a spare tire.
Praying to God should be a part of our daily walk with Jesus. It does not necessarily need to be with eyes closed and heads bowed. We can talk to Jesus while driving. We can talk to him in the shower. He listens24/7. It does not matter where you are or the time of day, He is ready to listen. Prayer is a conversation with God. Sadly, we close a prayer and rarely pause to give time for God to speak to us through the Holy Spirit. Sit quietly some and listen for that still quiet whisper.
Start each day with a simple quiet time of talking with God. Your day will go better and if it doesn’t, talk to Him again and tell Him your concerns. He wants to help you get through the day. Listen to the song, Before the Day. My wife sang this song to me each night when I was hospitalized in 2007. I am writing this devotion because God heard many prayers for my healing after a long battle of double pneumococcal pneumonia. I was 49 years old and today I am 67.
Prayer works, God hears our prayers.
Jim Everett
Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
