Hi Wes,

Thanks for your thoughts. Growing up, my family's prayer life was off and on in a family setting. I think it's a great blessing though to be in a family in which prayer (as a family) is practiced regularly.

I do set aside some time everyday to pray, although the amount varies depending on various things. When I have those freem moments during the day I sometimes pray then too. I do think my prayer life is not what it should be though. Even when I am praying, I often find my mind wandering. I have the desire to have pray more and commune more with God, but, at the same time, I just don't seem to have the strength to do it oftentimes. I realize this is indication of what's actually in my heart many times, and it's a bit discouraging.

Going back to prayer for meals, one of the biggest problems I have with that is I find myself falling into very formulaic prayers at that time. I'm always reminded of the verse when Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray and he warns them not to use meaningless repititions, i.e., just saying a bunch of words. It seems so easy to rush through them just so we can begin eating. I guess what I'm really struggling with is why I'm not more thankful than I am for all the blessings God has given me such as a filling meal. I think if I was truly filled with thanks as I should be, then prayer (a truly thankful and heartfelt one) before a meal would just naturally flow out.

John