Backseat Praying

 

            I wasn’t the best driver for a while.  You might think I’m exaggerating.  Nope, I was elected one of four ‘Senior’s worst drivers’ in my graduating class. It’s not that I took pride in that title.  However, it was true.  Through prayer, practice, and a lot of dings in my first car (a 1979 Cutlass Oldsmobile which really could have doubled as a submarine…I loved that car!) I’ve improved. 

            This morning as I was taking the girls to school, I began telling them a story about their grandma when I first learned how to drive.  I love my mom bunches.  I remember I had a friend in the passenger’s seat with me, and my mom was in the back.  We were on the back roads of Ohio where middle lines in the road are optional because truthfully the roads aren’t big enough for two lanes.  I noticed while my friend and I were laughing my mom was being abnormally quiet.  I looked around trying to make sure I was driving correctly.  I think my hands were at 10 and 2 o’clock on the steering wheel, but mom was not saying much.

            “Mom are you okay?”  I was legitimately concerned.

            “I’m fine Ann.”  She didn’t sound okay.

            “Why are you so quiet?”

            “Oh just back here praying.”  My friend and I busted out laughing from the front seat.  My driving must have been pretty bad to send my mom into silent prayers from the backseat.  As I said, I like to think I’ve improved.

            As funny as that story is, as I was saying it today and laughing to the girls all over again it made me think of something the Bible says.  In 1Thess 5:17 it says to ‘pray without ceasing’.  That story is so funny because one can assume my bad driving was driving my mom to pray for me.  Which is a great thing and I’m glad she did.   How important it is when we feel our safety threatened that we do sit down and pray.  But some people (not my momma cause she’s a prayerer) will only pray when they feel their life is at risk.  They utter a few “emergency prayers” and they think that God is like some genie in a bottle and grant them three wishes. 

            Praying without ceasing doesn’t mean that no one is ever able to talk to you and you can’t, eat, sleep, etc. because you’re always praying.  It means having an attitude that your mind is always on God.  Prayer isn’t always whispering a few written words on a page.  It’s communication with the heavenly father.  It’s fixing your mind on Him versus things of the world.  Whatever ‘drives’ you to prayer, make it a habit to talk to God.  He sees a bigger picture of your life, and most of the time your vision is limited.  Talk to Him and let Him communicated back to you the answers that you need.  He is a good father and He loves you. 

Remember God has awesome plans for your life.  Get excited!