Prayer...

For some reason, praying has been on my mind heavily lately. I know it is something that should be on your mind but it has really hit home for me the last couple of weeks. When you " google " the word prayer.. all of this stuff comes up. I was trying to find a definition to put on here but I just wasnt satisfied. Its so long and complicated. To me prayer is simply talking to God. Something, Im sure, all of us could more of. Im guilty as charged because it something in my life that I definitely need and want to work on. With everything that has went on in the last few months and now being pregnant, I think I should.
My point is though, we shouldnt just pray in the hard times or when we or someone else needs something. We should praise him when our life seems to be doing okay. But for me, its just like when something else goes bad, I start praying. And on the days everything seems to be going good, I hardly even mutter a thank you. I should praise him everyday for just bringing me through what he did but then again I should pray every day. Once again, it shouldnt have taken something like that to make me want to pray.
Prayers are powerful and I will fight with anyone who tells me they arent. I wonder, on that first night I was in the hospital, how many prayers were being said. And not even on that first night but the whole time. Withou my faith and their prayers, I honestly dont know if I would even be sitting here right now. Prayers do work. For both the good and the bad. I tend to forget the feeling I get after I get done talking with God. If I am asking for strength, its just like this calmness comes over me and I know it is him with me.
The other thing I was thinking about was how many times do we tell someone we will pray for them and then we just brush it off? It seems to be common answer to anyone who is going through something tough. Whether we say it to them or their family or write in a card, its always like " My thoughts and prayers are with you during this time " Im guilty as the next person but I like to think that when I tell someone that, the least I can do is do it. I mean all of these people prayed for me so I know it works. I never doubted it but until you actually experience it, it doesnt really hit home.
Let me explain myself... I pray. I pray almost every day. I pray for me, my family, my friends and our country ( especially with the election coming up ) Prayer works in all different ways. I remember going through my divorce and feeling completely alone and just talking to God and I could almost feel his hand on me assuring me it was going to be okay. The same with everything else I have went through. Its THOSE times when I was like, wow.... you really are there. This may be coming out wrong but the best way I can explain it is.. I know God is with us each and every day through the good AND the bad. And I hate that it takes some people bad times to realize that praying is really important and a great way to build you relationship with God. But just like people say that they live one day a time and live like they are dying because they have almost died, prayer sort of goes that way. But it shouldnt be like that. We all should live each and every day to our fullest and talk to God and praise him for what he has done in our lives. And even if you have lived a perfect life, God has provided that for you. You wouldnt take something good from a stranger without telling them thank you would you?
Each day we live is a gift from God. We should use the gifts he has provided for us and thank him every day for what he did for us. He gave his only son. Sometimes saying thank you just doesnt seem like enough.