Prayer - it doesn't matter... (read carefully)

Spent some time in the hospital with a friend over the last few days. He's a biker. Yep. And been in to everything you are probably thinking a biker might get into. But he's also a believer in Jesus. Tattoos, prison time and all. I prayed with him before I left each day. This morning he's having open heart surgery and I stopped in to see the family. I knew they were there because there were a couple of bikes with ape-hangers in the parking lot. His daughter told me that before the ambulance got to the house to pick him up last week she asked him if he would like her to pray. His response, "I've been waiting for that."

So I was thinking about prayer on the ride back to the church. In some religions of the world you have to approach god in a certain way. If you don't, he won't hear your prayer. You have to spin something. Ring a bell. Wear a certain hat. Rub some beads. Assume a specific posture. Or face a certain direction. If you do everything right, god might hear you. Of course, you'd better make sure that your heart is pure and that your deeds are goods and your motives just.

John tells us that the God of the universe, "loves us so much..." That loves compels Him. Instead of insisting that we approach Him in a proper manner, He says, "draw near to me and I will draw near to you... I will never leave you" and "ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened." What does that mean to you and me and everyone else? It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, what direction you are facing, what you're wearing or what you were doing the second before you said, "Dear God." He hears your prayer. Whether you've never done anything wrong or you've never done anything right, He's listening.

So, remember this truth about prayer.
Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. For any reason. In any circumstance or setting.
God is listening and wants to answer... He loves you.