When you pray, pray with the expectation that God will use your prayers to shape you, connect with Him, and perhaps help others.

There are times I pray and there is just peace in the connection to God. There are times of intercessory prayer where I feel sorrow and anguish, or joy and merriment as I have the privilege of lifting others unto God. There are times of silence, and I have learned to wait upon the Lord for His answers. There are times prayer is a struggle, as my inner self wars against being too open and vulnerable....and those are the exact moments I need pray the most. And there are times, quiet moments, where I feel a nudge and an unbidden thought, or feeling, or person comes to mind and I know God is moving me to pray for them, help them, encourage them or take action for them.

Prayer is vital to the well being of a soul wanting to stay in communion with God. It is not a wish list, a time to demand things of God or to try and "use" God; but a time to worship, to connect and commune, to prayerfully bring our petitions to a Lord who knows us and our needs, and to bring to a most loving God those who move your heart and whose needs stir you to bring them to a King's throne. Most of all...it is a time to cherish being with the God who is madly in love with you. He longs for us to approach Him, He invites fellowship, He calls us His and beckons us. Prayer is walking into your Father's arms.

-Beth Haynes Butler