"I grew up believing there were certain times that were right for prayer."

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book, One at a Time (p. 71). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Was that true for you?

Kyle continues, "Before meals and at bedtime, of course, and praying at church was also a thing. Also heaving up a desperate Hail Mary prayer before a test you didn’t study for was deemed appropriate."

He says, "But Jesus’s disciples were 'constantly' united in prayer, and we are encouraged to 'pray without ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:17 ESV) and to 'pray at all times' (Eph. 6:18 CSB)."

"There is a right time to pray—and it is now.

"Prayer is an expression of our dependence on Jesus, and we’re always dependent on Jesus, so we always need to be praying. It’s a constant connection where we are continually available."

He goes on, "I was also taught there was a right way to pray: head bowed and eyes closed. In fact, in our family, if your head wasn’t bowed and your eyes weren’t closed during prayer, it was considered a serious infraction. When the dinnertime prayer was over, my little sister would start calling out the perps. She was like, 'I’m Chris Hansen from NBC. Why don’t you have a seat?' The cameras would come out, and they would rewind the tape and show when my eyes were open.

"I’d protest, 'It was just for a split second!'and counterattack, 'How do you know my eyes were open if your eyes were closed?'

"At the time, that was the best argument I could come up with, but now I can make a stronger case. If we’re supposed to pray 'at all times,' then we’re going to have to pray with our eyes open. Learning to pray with my eyes open changed my relationship with God, but it also changed the way I see people."

He then says, "This is part of learning to see the world through a zoom lens. As I go through my day and see others one at a time and practice eyes-open prayer, my heart starts to go out to people I would’ve barely noticed otherwise. Praying with my eyes open helps me see what Jesus saw, feel what Jesus felt, and do what Jesus did."

And that is so true, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

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