I tend to look at natural patterns in my life as having spiritual roots or at least a spiritual relationship. So if I do something naturally, I wonder how it pertains to my spiritual life.
I like to eat . . . a lot. My palate is eclectic—I enjoy a variety of cuisines. If it's well prepared and/or made with love, I'll probably try it. I rarely lose my appetite for food. Eating comes naturally for me and I've done it all my life. On the other hand, I have to force myself to drink. I learned to drink at a very early age. For some reason, I just don't care to drink as much as I need to. I try to drink water more than anything else, but it's difficult. I prefer eating.
This is not a healthy habit though. Our bodies are mostly water, or at least they should be. Our blood needs water. We need water to carry toxins out of our bodies. Water also carries nutrients from our food to all parts of the body. And we need water to maintain a normal body temperature. Many times I drink water because I know I should not because I want to.
Our need for water may increase at times: before and after exercising, in hot weather, if we're ill, and for women: when they're pregnant or nursing.
As I said at first, I wonder how natural patterns relate to spiritual patterns in my life. To me, and it's in scripture, the Word of God is for the soul/spirit as food is for the body.
But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. '" Matthew 4:4 NKJV
Eating spiritually is rather easy for me just as eating naturally is easy. I read or listen to the scriptures. I read books written about the Word. I listen to preaching of the Word. I can listen to different teachers of the Word as long as I can tell that it matches what's in scripture.
One day I realized that not only is the Word spiritual food, but for me, prayer is like water. I need to pray to maintain my communication with God—my life force. After reading the Word I need to pray to help my soul process and digest what I've read. I can pray a prayer of repentance to get rid of the toxins in my mind and emotions. I need to pray to help me stay on the right track—normal body temperature.
There are occasions when I may need to pray more: before and after sharing the word or helping others; in hot/hectic/stressful times in life; if I'm ill in my body or in my soul; and if I am pregnant with a dream or if someone is depending on me to feed them spiritually. Even in the case of writing this blog to share with others, I have to pray about what I'm writing.
Just as it is more difficult for me to drink than it is to eat for my physical body, at times it's more difficult for me to pray than it is to read the scripture. As I said before, prayer is active. It takes a little more effort for me to pray than to read scripture. Sometimes I just don't feel like opening my mouth to pray and that's how I end up thinking about prayer instead of praying.
Don't misunderstand. I pray. I like to pray. My goal, however, is to pray more and to pray about everything. I want my prayer life to be such that I'll be able to say that I obeyed this scripture:
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2 NLT
Pray with me:
Gracious Father, I praise You because You are worthy to be praised. You are a patient, loving Father. Help me to realize the importance of prayer in my life. It is my communication with You. It helps me stay connected to You. It is the way I process the Word that I read and hear. It helps to cleanse me of anything that is not like You. I want to devote myself to prayer. I know that I can because of what Jesus has done for me and through His name. So be it.
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