Pick Up and Pray

Read Romans 12: 1-8

And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy - the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. Romans 12:1-2 (TLB)

Don't be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for God's answers and remember to be thankful when they come.

Colossians 4:2 (TLB)

Jan Towne lives in Virginia. She likes to go on daily walks, with her husband, along the roadways of their rural town. Several years ago, they decided to pick up the trash that litters the ditches along the streets where they walk. It is rewarding both to get exercise and fresh air and to help beautify God's earth. But it can be frustrating also. They found that after cleaning up an area, more trash accumulates within a few days. At one point, Jan became angry at the repeat offenders, but then she changed her way of thinking and started praying. With every piece of trash she picks up, Jan prays for the person who threw it there. Almost immediately God changed her anger and frustration into forgiveness and empathy.

We can reshape our thoughts and attitudes with prayer. Prayer can turn hate into love, fear into trust, anger into forgiveness, and despair into joy. As we remind ourselves to pray when confronted by negative thoughts such as fear and anger, we can reshape our thoughts to conform to the thoughts and ways of Jesus. God's gift of prayer has awesome power!

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for giving us the privilege of prayer. As we pray, reshape our minds to conform to your will, in Jesus' name. Amen.