An honest look at prayer

Greetings:
Prayer is simply conversation with God in praise, worship and thanksgiving.
Sounds pretty easy to understand, doesn't it?
But I imagine prayer to many of us is simply putting our petitions, needs, wants, desires , and all of our 'need this and need thats' before God.
We pray when oor family members or friends are in a panic, sick or needing something.
We pray when times are bad.
We pray when we are in trouble, scared, sick, confused, perplexed and backed into the corner with no where else to turn.
We pray when we hit bottom and there nowhere to go, but up.
But do we pray, I mean really pray, when we appear to be blessed, content and things are going well?
It's a question of what value do we place in prayer.
Look at Colossian 4:2, it reads, “Devout yourself to prayer being watchful and thankful”.
I guess it's a matter if we regard prayer as a gift of grace or an unbearable burden.
Prayer is a privilege that takes discipline and practice. Prayer is a personal invitation from God to enter into his holy sanctuary to talk with him and listen to him.
Prayer is also a time to get still and quiet before God offering praise and worship in a manner in which you feel comfortable and speak sincere words of thanksgiving.
Prayer will prepare us for the unknowns, the disappointments, the challenges, the troubles.
Prayer provides us with strength in moments of weakness and is a caring arm wrapped around us in times of sorrow.
Prayer is not done only when we feel like it or when we feel worthy.
If we are making excuses for not praying, we should be honest with ourselves and ask why.
Throughout the Bible we read of God's mercy and grace that reaches out to all people – the good and the bad, the worthy and the unworthy.
Let's all follow the simple advice in 1Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
Be blessed.