I remember saying my nightly prayers as a little girl. Every night... without fail! They were part of the nightly routine... brush teeth, wash face, say prayers!
Somewhere between being a young teenager and a college student nightly prayers just faded away. I'm not sure why.
Up until today I have not prayed at night on a regular basis. But that is about to change...
Brush teeth, wash face...
I'm usually exhausted and fall into bed half asleep before my head hit s the pillow or I fall asleep watching the news or the cooking channel. Praying is not foremost in my mind.
Let's pretend for just a minute...
Let's pretend that you are hosting a big family dinner. Family comes to your home from all over. You have gone all out and prepared a fabulous, delicious meal! Everyone happily partakes of your home, hospitality and effort. Then they leave... all of them without saying a word... not one word! No thank you! No, honest compliments on the great dinner... no good byes! No hugs! No I love yous...they just leave! How would you feel?
Maybe that is how God has felt all these years when I don't have the time, energy or inclination to just say thank you and good night!
Starting tonight I am making the effort to talk to God, even for just a little bit, before I go to sleep... every night! Without fail, God willing!
I want to tell Him thank you for at least one thing... I want to pray for one person that crossed my path... I want to tell Him I love Him... and tell Him why! Then I can commit my night and life into His nail-pierced hands and rest!
How about you?
If you are not regularly praying at night why don't you join me! Let's start a new nightly routine that ends with a little prayer time with our Father!
Beautifully written. I will be joining you tonight. So many things in our day to talk to Him about. Our blessings, our failures, our wishes and our thoughts. Sometimes just a thank you can be enough in Gods eyes.
ReplyDeleteEvery night! It's a very easy habit to get into and gives you so much peace.
ReplyDeleteYes Yvonne yes! How often have I been too tired to thank Him. Today I shared a story of how I recently gave up social media for 2 1/2 weeks so that I could live in the moment while traveling through France. I thank God for His peace and wisdom.
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ReplyDeleteI seem to remember when I'm feeling bad. Thank you for this beautiful reminder to do it for thankfulness and love.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Thank you for your post this morning. You truly know, love, and serve God.
ReplyDeleteOh, Yvonne, you read my mind. I had a little chat with God last night over this very matter! I saw your pin on Pinterest about this post and had to zoom right over. I'm off to explore your beautiful blog! Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. I am sporadic at best. Tonight I will be joining you. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. I think it will be more than worth it. And 21 days from now, I will be closer to my Father's heart.
ReplyDeleteWhat a breath of fresh air. How sweet it is to God when someone acknowledges their love for Him out in the open, without fear of being criticized. So many people keep their relationship with God private because they are afraid they will be judged . One of the greatest gifts He gave me was the awareness of Him the moment I wake in the morning. Thank you for reminding us to take a moment to pray and thank God for His many blessings!
ReplyDeleteI do want to join you. Thanks for inviting me.
ReplyDeleteFondly,
Glenda
Ah, me too. I always said my prayers when I was little. And although I have many conversations throughout the day with God, nighttime seems to fall on the wayside. I am going to join you in this! Even if it's just a simple 'thank you'.
ReplyDeleteI have a prayer bracelet that I keep around my Plax bottle so that I pray every morning. I also am very aware of thanking God for a beautiful day or any little thing, but night time prayers I haven't done in awhile. I DO usually fall asleep by saying Hail Mary's over and over. Does that count:):):)
ReplyDeletePrayers every night. I thank God for everything good or bad I encountered during my day. I also pray for family and friends, special needs and protection from evil. I finish by asking for forgiveness for my sins and transgressions. There are times when I fall asleep during my prayers but if I wake up during the night or even in the morning I finish them quickly!
ReplyDeleteJulia from SC
I'm guilty of not praying every night too. Like you, there are nights I hit the bed and I'm out like a light. I do pray and give thanks throughout the day tho. I'm home alone and talk to God often. It's comforting and is my way of remembering He's always present. But even so, I feel guilty when I forget a nightly prayer of some sort. I love your analogy...direct and easy to appreciate! So if nothing else, I'm going to at least tell God thank you and I love you. Thank you for this great reminder!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way you have with words. I love this post and I certainly will be praying every night. I must say occasionally I fall asleep or try and get my pain under control and I forget. I am so thankful for every day,and all he showers on me.
ReplyDeleteHugs Kay
I'll be joining too. It's nice to get a gentle reminder of an important thing to add to our days.
ReplyDeleteAgree with your dedication to nightly prayer so much! Our church chose the focus, On Our Knees, for this year, and we are using an amazing book: Prayers for Today: A Yearlong Journey of Contemplative Prayer by Kurt Bjorklund. Each night's selections are prayers of all kinds from all people of faith throughout history. I have learned so much about how other people pray and how prayer connects us to God as well as to others.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your beautiful home and creativity, but most of all, thank you for sharing your beautiful heart!
I rarely pray at night. I do however pray every morning when I get up. It's my morning ritual just like brushing my teeth.
ReplyDeleteI have been praying every night for a good while. Let's say I'm over 50. There are times when we all call on Him to answer our prayers, the least we can do is say a few prayers and words every night - even if we are tired. . God Bless
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