My beautiful Tewahedo Orthodox sister, whenever I go to my spiritual father with a heavy heart, carrying worries, questions, or struggles, his answer is always the same: “Pray.”
Not because prayer is the last thing we do when everything else fails, but because prayer is where we begin. It is where we bring our burdens before God, surrender our fears, and seek His guidance.
Before you reach for your phone in the morning, stand before God in prayer.
Before you answer that difficult text or email, pray first.
Before you walk into work or school, pray first.
Before you make an important decision, pray first, asking, “Lord, let Your will be done, not mine.”
Before fear or anxiety fills your heart, pray first, remembering that Christ is your peace.
Before you speak in anger or react with frustration, pray first, so your words may be guided by love, humility, and wisdom.
Before you carry your burdens alone, pray first, for the Lord invites you to cast every care upon Him.
Before you celebrate your victories, pray first, giving thanks to God, from whom every good and perfect gift comes.
Before you ask God to bless your plans, pray first, seeking His holy will above your own desires.
Before you fall asleep and close your eyes, pray first. Thank God for His mercy, repent with sincerity, forgive those who have wronged you, and entrust your soul into His loving hands.
Pray first—not only in times of need, but in every season. Let prayer be the first movement of your heart, not the last resort. In every joy, sorrow, decision, and trial, seek God first. Through prayer, Holy Communion, and repentance, we draw closer to Him and learn to walk in His will.
“For without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
May all that we do begin and end with prayer, giving all glory, honor, and praise to our Heavenly Father, now and forever, unto the ages of ages. Amen. 🙏🏽
Selam Seyoum