Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Ephesians 6:18

Years ago an older friend of mine told me he never prayed for “the little things like a headache” because he felt it wasn’t worth God’s time. It seems that we sometimes pray to God for the BIG situations in our lives and neglect the smaller issues we face.

1 Peter 5:17 tells us to cast “all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.” So if I have a headache I pray.  If I am frustrated by a personal problem, I pray.  

The point was to make sure we remember to enlarge our view of what God has planned and remember to pray for others and to continue to pray for the message of Christ to be proclaimed to those who need to hear.  

Secondly, while we should “pray at all times in the Spirit” by praying while we drive or work or during a conversation, there is no substitute for a specific time alone with God.  The Gospels detail Jesus’ example for each of us as he consistently withdrew from the crowds so that he could spend time with the Father.

If we pray only at our leisure -that is, at our own convenience – can we be true disciples?”

Prayer is often the missing ingredient for today’s Christian and today’s church and probably is the biggest reason we struggle at times with all things, BIG and small.

So let’s pray at all times and pray a specific times.  If you have trouble like me, set aside a few minutes each day to pray. I’m finding that it helps to make prayer the first thing in my day,