"The first thing I want you to do is pray..." (1 Tim 2:1, MSG) We are always faced with endless possibilities and limitless choices. When we encounter difficulties, we feel like we are pressed against time and choices. We seek for help and relief by any good way we can. And as good christians, we would pray about our problems and those of others; but we usually do this as some alternative or last resort after we feel like all is failing. In the more pitiable occasion, we only pray as some sort of backup just in case the "real" solution we are fixing our mind on didn't work. We play smart with God, with prayer and with our Christianity. We pray just in case. But the power of prayer is in realizing its significance and rightful place. Prayer is not some alternative solution, it is the solution. When we pray about a thing, God makes available possibilities we never knew existed. God intervenes when we pray. Prayer is like an official invitation to God. Once we pray, we open up a long channel of possibilities. God responds to prayers, especially one made in faith. To pray in faith is to pray believing the power of prayer; believing that God answers prayer; believing that God can be entreated through our prayer. And we shouldn't just pray, it should be the first thing we do..
I once saw a sticker that reads, "When you don't know what to do, do what you know: PRAY". The sticker sounds inspirational; but unfortunately it is not scriptural! The problem with that sticker is that it relegates prayer to a secondary action to be done when all else have failed. it makes prayer some reserved alternative used when you have run out of ideas. The Bible enjoins us all to pray "without ceasing". We must make prayer a lifestyle and our first point of call. As Paul told Timothy: "The first thing I want you to do is pray..." Stay blessed