31 Days of Prayer: God be with you

When I traveled from the East Coast to work as a reporter in the Midwest, my mom had four words of advice for me, a prayer to say every day: "God be with me".

Why did my mom advise me to use those four words in prayer during my entire journey? Because she will tell you, God told her to and because, I will tell you, God knew that's what would get me through each and every day as I embarked on a new journey in my life story. God knew that His presence which would be invoked by that prayer would fill my mind with peace and my heart with joy no matter what happened. God knew that simple and true prayer would ensure me that though I may be alone in new territory (I did not have any family or friends in the Midwest at that time), I would never truly be alone because God is with me.

After my time in the Midwest came to a close and I returned to familiar territory, my mom advised me to continue saying those four words in a prayer to God each and every morning. At first I thought I would not need to because I have my support system here and I am surrounded by helpful resources. But then God reminded me that I need Him as the famous church hymn says, "every hour". Just because I am no longer in the wild and breathtakingly beautiful West does NOT mean that I need God any less. No! I need God even now while I am surrounded by my support system, family, friends and delightfully enjoying the four seasons!

I need God each and every moment of my life no matter where I am or what I am doing. I need God to be the center of my focus, I need Jesus Christ in my heart and life. I need God. Period.

But it's not just me who needs God. You need Him. Your friends need Him. Your family needs Him. Your co-workers need Him. Even your enemies need Jesus! I love this quote that simply says in a play on words: Know Jesus, Know Peace; No Jesus, No Peace! It is very true! Try a life without Jesus being your anchor and you will find that no matter how rich, affluent or famous you become, you will feel empty and your soul will be desperately longing for something more in life. And that something more in life is actually Someone! His name is Jesus Christ and He is patiently waiting for you to let Him into your life (Revelation 3:20).

"So", you may ask me, "How do I let Jesus Christ into my life? It's not like I can see Him or call Him on the phone." I would tell you that you are right, there is no tangible way to get in touch with the Creator of the Universe. But there is a tried and true way which is through...You guessed it! Prayer! And what should you pray to invite the Lord of lords and King of kings into your life (yes we're still talking about Jesus Christ)? My dear friend, today's prayer is simple...Just say these four words in this order, "God be with me." And then live your life and see how God brings His glory into your story and changes you from the inside out.