But there is one thing that always draws me to prayer. It's tummy aches. When I feel immediate, annoying pain, I pray. And I usually pray until the tummy ache eases or I go to bed and fall asleep.
So why can I pray without ceasing when I'm in pain? Simply enough, it's rooted in my own pride. I believe that I am strong enough, healthy enough, happy enough in my circumstances that I don't need to go to God. But tummy aches show my weakness. And so I stumble back to God wearing my inability on my sleeve.
Tummy aches remind me that He is God, and I am not. He is strong, and I am weak. He is good, and I am proud. So I guess then that I'm thankful for them, because they draw me closer to God.
But there needs to be more. I can't be content with half-hearted tummy ache prayers. That is not "praying without ceasing." It is "praying when you darn well feel like it." That is not how the Christian operates. The Christian knows that prayer is a discipline to be cultivated, worked, and practiced. It is a tool of ministry, a conduit of communion with God. It is a beautiful, miraculous thing. Yet I "use" it like a telephone when I have a tummy ache. Prayer is not meant to be "used." It is a holy conversation. Your words go up to the King of the heavens, the Sovereign God, the divine, and He blesses you in a special way through that conversation.
I won't continue to be content with tummy ache prayers, and if you're like me in this sin, I pray you won't either. Once Christians realize the blessing and beauty of true fellowship with God in prayer, how can we neglect it? It is a discipline of joy, meant to be fostered.
"Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God."
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones