Calvary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Texas was my family’s church growing up from the time I was 8 years old. It was a small town church filled with godly people who loved the Lord. Mason Gray was the pastor there when my family joined and he was the one who baptized me. As a young kid I listened half the time, but when it was time for the service to end, there was like a renewed interest in the service that came over me. It didn’t take long to know who prayed publically and who didn’t, and I never wanted our pastor to call on Brother White for the closing prayer. Brother White prayed great prayers as far as I was concerned, but his prayers were stretched for seemed like ages. He was very serious about the Lord, but spoke slow and somehow stretched out even one syllable words.
Looking back on it today, I have come to believe that every follower of Christ should pray long prayers. I’ve been in prayer circles where by the time you took your cap off and lowered it in reverence to pray, the “Amen” came and it was over. I do believe in short quick prayers to God, but the follower of Christ is called to long prayers. It was the apostle Paul who said to “pray without ceasing.” Jesus said,
“And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:13
Praying should become such a normal part of our lives that we weave them in and out of our normal conversations. For the follower of Christ, praying should be like breathing, and it can be and will be when our minds are constantly going towards heaven. Whatever you do, don’t stop talking to God! I heard a man praying recently and in the middle of his prayer he started talking to the people who were listening and then he went right back to praying to the Father. God’s ears are always open ready to hear what His children have to say. Pray all day long!