PRAY, PRAYER, PRAYING

This being the week of the National Day of Prayer, I decided to look up a scripture about prayer. As I started looking, I discovered the scriptures tell us:

• We should pray to the Lord.
• We should be humble and pray.
• We should pray for: The king, The peace of Jerusalem, Those that persecute/mistreat us, Those who believe, Each other, Our friends, Perfection, Ourselves, Children and The saints.
• We can pray: Up on the mountainside, By laying on hands, Over there, As John taught us, Always, When we don’t know what to pray for, In the Spirit, Continually, When we are in trouble, On our knees, Inside a fish, With our face on the ground, In a solitary place, Looking toward heaven, After fasting, Joined together with others, When breaking bread, In everything, With hands lifted, In faith, In our heart, Standing and All night.
• We pray in order that we may live.
• When we pray, God: Is near, Hears our prayers as they rise to heaven, Answers prayers, Accepts our prayers and Is pleased.

Wow and all of this just from the concordance. Although the count varies depending on which site you use, the King James Version uses the word prayer 114 times, the word pray 313 times, prayed 65 times and praying 20 times. 512 references to prayer. Makes me think God wants prayer to be a priority in our lives.

But how do I pick just one? Have to go with Jonah praying from inside a fish.

SCRIPTURE: JONAH 1:17 - 2:1-10

But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God, He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all the waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.”

And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

PRAY, PRAYER, PRAYING

Not sure what I would have done but I know I would not have waited three days and three nights to start praying. I think I would have gotten humble real quick, fell to my knees, acknowledged that I was in trouble and prayed so I could live.

When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

God does consider prayer important. Why? Because He loves us and, when we pray, He accepts our prayers and is pleased.

Do not be like Jonah. Do not wait. Pray now!