If I'm Breathing, I'm Praying

I’m a proud Liberty University grad. In my honest opinion, it’s a wonderful place to get a Christian perspective career education. Yes, I am biased. I just like everything about this university. I keep current with what is happening. I contribute as an alumnus. I just love L.U. Go Fames! This is an endorsement.

Recently in the Liberty Journal (yes, I’m happily on the mailing list) there was an article about the Director of Spiritual Development for the Liberty Flames football team, Dr. Ed Gomes. The article began by saying that Dr. Gomes usually starts conversations with the individual players by asking, “How can I pray for you?” The players call him coach. I think that’s great. The team considers him their prayer coach. Wow, I’d like to be on that prayer team. I’d like to have a prayer coach. I’d like to cheer in the stands for that prayer game. I’d like to be first string in the upcoming prayer playoffs.

This article made me run to my Bible and study the ministry and work of prayer.

We are to be praying servants of God. (2 Chronicles 6:19) “Listen to my prayer and my plea, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer your servant is making in your presence.”  As we serve the living God, we can come into His presence with our requests. He hears His faithful servants.  We are prayer servants.

We are to be fervently dedicated to prayer. (Colossians 4:2) “Devote yourselves to prayer, with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” We need to have a continuous persistent intense prayer life. That’s what devoted means. We are to be ardent enthusiasts of prayer. Just as we sit in the stands and cheer as a fan for our football team, we should be that fanatical about prayer. We are prayer fans.

Oh, and we do have a prayer coach. The disciples went to their leader Jesus and said, “Teach us how to pray.” Jesus is our prayer coach too. He said in Luke 11:2-12 that we are to pray:  praises to God, for Him to set up His kingdom on earth, for our daily needs, for forgiveness, for others, and for help living the righteous life. He told us to ask and seek about anything and everything as a dear child of the Father. We are to have a lifestyle of prayer. We are on the prayer team under the leadership of Coach Jesus..

I like how Oswald Chambers puts it. (He was the author of MY Utmost For His Highest  in 1935.) “Think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood in our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues without ceasing…Prayer is not an exercise; it is the life of the saint.” He was praying while doing all the things in his life. I guess he was multi-tasking before multi-tasking was cool. He was living praying or prayerfully living.

That’s my goal now.

Dr. Gomes may not be my prayer coach but I’ve got a good one.

 Jesus is my prayer coach.

 He’ll help me get prayer breathing as my lifestyle if I’ll be His servant. So I can say:

If I’m breathing, I’m praying.