Anytime

Personal Photo: Mom took this photo of me in 2017; talking with God can come at any moment and the peace that He brings with Him in conversation really calms the soul

This week was a rollercoaster, but one that I wouldn't trade for the world. It was very busy; my mom and I cleaned the apartment Clay and I are moving out of, we finished a few paint projects in the house, I got an official job offer from a company that I cannot wait to work for, I reconnected with some old friends, we weeded my mom's front yard garden, went to church, one of my closest friends from college is spending the weekend with us, I resigned from my current job position, we decorated our flagpole area for Autumn, Clay worked late a couple days, and the free piano we got from FB Marketplace made it up the stairs and to its final resting place. Like I said, a total rollercoaster, full of varying emotions, energy levels, and more. However, it is very exciting to see so many moving parts and progress.

Speaking of the piano I mentioned getting moved, it comes with quite a story; We got it free off of FB Marketplace and had it in the apartment we were living in before. When it came time to move it to our house, we wanted to hire professional movers because it is so heavy and we wanted it upstairs. In our house, you have to go up some steps to get inside on the main floor and then we wanted it on the top floor, up a full staircase. When Clay was calling to get quotes for the moving, we were finding that the base quotes, not including the extra cost to move it upstairs, were staggering. We were not moving it long distance, but the price was still way out of our budget. Now, I have two brothers and Clay has a brother, but my two brothers live way out of state (one in Missouri, the other in Georgia), and Clay's brother works night shift, so he could not help either. So what did I do? I called the strongest of my brother's friends. One was a high school wrestler and the other lives and works on a farm. I grew up around these people; when Josh was in high school, I was very young, so these guys, along with many other of his friends, were like extra brothers to me. As time went on, I grew up and they did too, building lives and careers and moving away and more. I do not talk to them very often, not because I do not want to, but because life is crazy for all of us and we are all working on our jobs, families, and more. However, regardless of this, when I called them randomly, asked if they would help move a piano upstairs, and see our new house, they were in. Clay's rugby buddy from high school dropped everything to help, too. I was so grateful that they took a Sunday afternoon in their crazy lives to help me and Clay out. When I thanked them, one of them just answered 'anytime.'

Truth be told, it touched me. The simple response came from someone who used to be at my parents' house all the time. He was my brother's friend, but I am not sure when he and the others became my friends also. His response also got my wheels turning, and I began thinking about all the random times I have been reaching out to God and needing to talk to Him. I have really relied on prayer this week, and I found that I was praying at the job offer meeting, when I sent my resignation letter, numerous times when the piano was getting moved, when Mom and I made new memories together, and more. I spoke to God and asked for things and thanked Him for others, but I found myself praying to Him at all times of the day and night.

I really want to explore how we can pray to God about anything and at anytime. Jeremiah 29:12 reads "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." God is always ready to listen to us and is not restrained by boundaries of time and space. Instead, He promises to listen to us when we come to Him. Prayer is the one chance we have in life to actually talk with God. One on one, we can develop a relationship with Him through prayer. We are told in Colossians 4:2 to "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Instead of looking to 'signs' or other people or sometimes even church to create this relationship, we can turn our attention to praying directly to God. I went to a church with an ex-boyfriend when I was in high school and though I am a traditional church lover, I went with him because he liked a more contemporary style of church. In this particular establishment, we were going along in the service and then right before we were about to pray, the pastor said that if we do not feel comfortable praying, we can step out and return next week, or just stand there quietly while others prayed. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I could not understand why someone would come into the house of God and then leave when the chance to speak to Him came. This is just one example where we can miss an opportunity to pray to the Lord.1 Chronicles 16:11 removes any doubt that we should avoid prayer when we read "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always." The power of prayer is amazing; when we utilize this tool that God gave us to create intimacy with Him, we can see everything a bit clearer. We give Him more space in our hearts, we recognize where we need to grow, we can fight the devil and his demons with more strength, and so on. And the best part about prayer? We can pray about anything, anytime.

We can come to God for inspiration, guidance, and nourishment for our souls. We can come to Him with thanksgiving, gratitude, and humbleness. We can bring our worries, fears, and sins and drop them at the base of the cross and we can create a strong foundation for our faith to stand on and grow roots in when we build a relationship with the Lord through prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us that "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." When we teach our hearts and minds to go to prayer first, before we give in to worry, temptation, fear, sadness, and pride, we can see that through relying on God and communicating with Him, we are better prepared to handle all of the earthly things we struggle with. What is the base of any strong relationship in your life? I am willing to bet it is communication. How would my friends have known that we needed help with the piano if I did not tell them and ask for help; how would my husband know that I am having a bad day if I do not tell him; how would my boss know that I have the necessary documents for them if I do not say so; how would my parents know how grateful I am for all of their help if I did not communicate it to them... The list continues on and on and on. I am sure that you can relate to what I am saying here. Communication is what every relationship is built upon, and when we consider our prayer lives, we can really remind ourselves that when we pray, we are communicating with God. Phillippians 4:6 tells us "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." When we talk to God, we are expressing gratitude, asking for help, building a friendship, showing our vulnerability, learning about each other, and more. It is all important when we understand how God loves us and wants to be in our lives.

Not only can we pray to God about anything and everything, we can also do it anytime. There are no after-hour fees, per-the-minute charges, office hours, busy signals, or closed-for-the-holidays signs hanging on God's door. Whenever we reach out to God, He is there for us. Psalm 145:18 reminds us "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." He is always available and eager to be in contact with us, and He encourages prayer and coming to Him for all things. In this way, we can seek prayer as a refuge, a lifeline, a tool we harbor in our hearts. We can pray to Him when we haven't prayed in a while, when we are in the middle of something else, when we are driving, eating, working out, and more. We can have faith that God is listening whenever we come to him, as 1 John 5:14 tells us that "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." We can pray at any and all hours of the day and night and find a Friend, a loving Father, and a guiding Hand ready to shelter us and listen to us.

When we look at the way we pray, we might find that we sometimes miss the chance to talk to God directly, replacing the time we could be spending with God with other things in our lives. When we realize this piece missing in our day-to-day, it can be an opportunity for us to take some time and talk with God, relying on His guidance and feeding our souls by strengthening our relationship with Him. Mark 11:24 informs us that "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Using prayer in our lives as a chance to talk directly with God enables us to fight our sinful flesh better, strengthen our intimacy with God, and it allows us to leave the burdens, worries, and sadness of this world at His feet. Regardless of when we pray, God wants us to pray. He wants to have an intimate relationship with each of us and take advantage of the chance to speak with Him one-on-one. God loves us, longs for a relationship with us, and invites us to pray to Him, anytime.

P.S. Thank you for reading this week's article; I wanted to add that Sonshine Lane now has an Instagram account and a Facebook page that you are welcome to follow! I would appreciate any kind of support as I am working on growing this platform and sharing God's love with as many people as I can! Thank you and God bless!