Articles

I wasn’t speaking to my father, even though he and my mom lived in our in-law quarters. Our relationship was distant and difficult, and by my late forties, I had given up.

When I think about where God fits into this life, it is often on only Sunday morning, when I need help with something, and when I lay my head down to sleep at night. So, I have started a journey to find the rest that my body and spirit needs—sacred rest found only in my secret place with my Father in heaven.

One spiritual discipline I have enjoyed, embraced, and benefited from is Sunday morning prayer. I think we all can readily identify the obvious spiritual, emotional, and mental benefits of participating in corporate prayer, but I’d like to share some benefits that perhaps don’t immediately come to mind. 

I was a little nervous. I didn’t know who else would be there, I felt insecure about praying aloud, and I didn’t view myself as someone with a huge burden for prayer. But attending that meeting, time after time, month after month, changed me.

How is your prayer life? Are you weary of repeating the same longings for your loved one? Do your words feel rote, your pleas lifeless? Has the roller coaster of prayer left you in a valley where shadows of unbelief and hopelessness threaten to overtake you? Does the lostness of your loved one stir sorrow so deep it escapes through groans and bitter tears?