Proactive Prayer

Prayer typically tends to be a reactive activity.  Something bad happened to me, I pray to God for help.  Something good happened to me and I give thanks to God (if I’m good enough to remember).  Or, I sin and I need to ask God for forgiveness and cleansing.  It dawned on me that I treat prayer like a fire escape when it is supposed to be a weapon next to my sword, at least according to Eph. 6:18.  Paul told us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).  What would my life look like if I didn’t practice reactive prayers but proactive prayers?  Proactive prayers would mean that my prayers are not the effect of a cause.  Perhaps proactive prayers can take more of a frontal activity of actually being a cause to an effect.  It would mean my prayers would not be dependent upon circumstances.  Proactive prayers would mean I talk to God just to talk to Him.  Pray without ceasing.  A while back our church One Thing embarked on a 60/60 experiment – praying to God every 60 mins for 60 days.  I have to say that that period was when I was the most proactive in my prayers.  Proactivity of any sort assumes a greater responsibility towards something; it encourages a greater value in something.  I’ve been focusing, more like striving, to make prayer less reactive and more proactive, because God is worth talking to even if it’s just for the sake of it.