Five Invitations - Day 10

Day 10 - Pray Always
Psalm 8
What if science and the supermarket can help you pray every day?

Scientists uncover breathtaking new insights about the universe every year. The James Webb telescope relayed gorgeous images lightyears away from Earth just this year (see here). I’m in awe when I gaze into a star-filled sky, sure I’m witnessing God’s glory. Sometimes that wonder leads me into worship and prayer, just like the psalmist of Psalm 8. Science helps us pray every day!

But God, who made this universe blazing with beauty, is “mindful of [us].” God cares for us! More than that, God crowns human beings “with glory and honor.” We have dignity, value, and purpose. You have this glory. So does every person you’ll ever meet.

In his essay, The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis said, “It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken...You have never met an ordinary person.”

Everyone we meet can lead us to pray and praise God. Your cashier at the supermarket can prompt  you to pray. This person reflects the glory of God, imperfectly to be sure, but reflects it nonetheless. “God, thank you for Serena. Help me see your glory in her. Bless her, in Jesus’ name.”

Scripture tells us to “pray always.” At Quest, we believe wholehearted followers of Jesus Christ connect with God daily in prayer. Train yourself to see nudges to pray.

REFLECT:
Other than worship or the Bible, what has recently turned your attention to God?

PRAY:
God, your glory is everywhere! It’s in me and in everyone I meet. Train me to see every glimpse of glory as a nudge to pray. Amen.