“Trust [confidently] in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8 Amplified Bible)
Right at the door, she stayed un-phased by people passing by, stilled, unmoved by any surrounding sounds, and staunch, uninterrupted by the heat of the day. I was just one of many who passed by and marveled at the sight. I entered the door, and she paid no attention to my presence, not at all. It was as if her mind was somewhere else. After a walkaround inside the place that I had entered, done with my window shopping, I departed out the very same door. I noticed that she was still in the same position. Her posture was unchanged. No, it was not a person looking for a handout. It was one of God’s creatures that looked as if its crafted hands were looking upward, inside the realm of heaven.
I walked to my car and intentionally drove out of my way to see if she had moved. She had not. She was still poised in a gentle position, still perfectly satisfied and steadfast as if she had a special purpose. Apparently, I was holding up traffic, as the car behind me signals me to move on with an extended, long, loud. blow of the vehicle’s horn. I moved on, but not before glancing at the creature that was still unphased, unmoved, and uninterrupted.
The creature was a mantis, better know as a Praying Mantis for its prayer-like stance. You know I have a tee-shirt that says, “I’m a writer and anything you do or say, I might write about it.” The saying on the shirt is applicable to the Praying Mantis too! There are no exceptions to the saying. So, look at what I took away from what I saw. It’s so simple. We should be like the Praying Mantis. We should find a place at some point in the day and position ourselves to look upward toward God, doing more than assuming the position of prayer, but actually taking advantage of going to the door that leads to our Father’s throne which art in Heaven. Yes, like the Praying Mantis, who I’m sure takes her position regularly, we should too. We need to pray. And, like this member of the Mantidae family, as part of God’s family, when we take the position of prayer, we need to stay on our knees for a while, looking to the source from which comes our help, our blessings, God’s grace, and mercy. We need to stay so focused that it can be said of us that when it comes to prayer time, we will be unphased, unmoved, and uninterrupted because that is our privileged, personal time with our Provider, God Almighty.
God is urging us to pray, regularly. He is urging us to take the posture of prayer. Be steadfast and unmoved in prayer. No, don’t just pray when you are looking for a handout. You know that God knows what you need before your even ask, don’t you? But pray with your hands lifted toward heaven and offer the Lord thanksgiving and praise. And what I am about to say, well it just might be for me since I always seem to come around the corner at my house in the early hours of the day, asking Mrs. King a question while she is in her morning prayer mode. When others are praying don’t interrupt them. Perhaps I am not the only one that needs to do a better job of not interrupting others when they are praying, but perhaps not. One more thing, maybe two in the form of questions. Have you prayed yet today? Have you prayed again? Have a wonderful day! Be blessed!
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” (Romans 12:12 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King