Recently a group of friends and I arrived at a restaurant for dinner and for some reason the hostess could not find our reservation on their schedule. Since there were about a dozen of us we had to wait a bit for them to be able to get tables to seat us together. But they managed it and as we were about to begin our meal they asked me if I would ask the blessing.

As I opened my mouth to begin the first thing that popped out wasn’t the traditional grace we say over a meal. What was in my heart was what spilled out…”Father…thank You for seats at Your table tonight…”. Gratitude for our time together, for food to eat and God’s blessing over our food and our lives was included and it was a sweet moment that we all felt.

Often we may think that prayer needs a specific format, a determined time of day or a designated location, as in morning devotion prayer, a blessing over our food prayer or a bedtime prayer. However, Ephesians 6:18 instructs us to “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Our closest communion with God will be honest, vulnerable conversations that can happen any time of the day or night. Yes He is Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that is in it. He is also the lover of your soul and He delights in drawing near to us every time we are mindful to draw near to Him. Tell Him what’s on your heart. He can work with that!