Day 9: Engaging Prayer

CHECKING IN - by Chad Riley

“Lay it All Down” by Will Reagan & United Pursuit

When we’ve given up on better days
and there are memories we can’t erase,
lay it all down.

When we’ve come to fear what we can’t explain
and there’s nothing here that can ease the pain,
lay it all down.

I’m a newlywed with less than a year of experience with married life, but I’m confident that one of my favorite expressions of solidarity and love  is always going to be the daily download with my wife. We lay it all out - the tough stuff, the mediocre moments and the downright God-breathed memory makers.

We laugh, we dive in deep, and we bear one another’s burdens concerning private matters and all the unexpected challenges of the day. Usually, this happens right before eating dinner, or while we’re refilling our bodies with physical food as we digest the day in a way that fills our souls.

It seems to me that God is just as interested in this routine as we are, and we can certainly feel Him right beside us. Sometimes we can feel Him nudging us toward a particular expression of compassion and support for one another.

Often we feel the urge to pray for something specific, which leads us right back to His side…where He wants us, and where we truly want to be.

“Never stop praying.” [1 Thess. 5:17, NLT]