Gas Station Coffee Prayer

For most of my Christian life I have viewed prayer as a chore. “Chore” sounds like a harsh word, but more like something that I do in the mornings after I read my Bible, before meals, and if I’m feeling extra spiritual, when I run into someone throughout my day who needs some. Prayer was a spiritual discipline that I knew I needed more of in my life, but I didn’t understand how to apply it.

As I begin to learn more, I see that there are a variety of different kinds of prayer. There are times when we ask God for things, and He generously gives them to us. There are other times when God asks us to pray with endurance. We keep asking and it almost feels like He either doesn’t hear us or is ignoring us. There are traditional prayers like the psalms. There are other times of prayer when all we can do is cry and must trust that Romans 8:26 is true when it says the Holy Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans. At other times we can just sit in God’s presence and don’t even have to say a thing. Prayer is the intentional time set aside for just us and God. It’s how we commune with Him.

I realize that sometimes I can over spiritualize prayer, though. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing”. But I obviously can’t be sitting in a chair all day, head bowed, eyes closed in prayer to God. There are things that need to get done and God knows that.

I’m a big coffee girl. I enjoy going to a coffee shop and sitting down to drink a chai latte or iced coffee. But I also really enjoy a cup of gas station coffee. Especially when I’m going on a road trip or need a quick afternoon pick me up.

I wonder what gas station coffee prayer would look like in my life. I’m beginning to think that prayer doesn’t have to be a dressed up, bring all my worries to the feet of Jesus kind of thing. It can be, and it should be, but not all day every day. I read an Instagram post the other day that said “Not every conversation should be about the meaning of life. Not everything needs to be a revival or a highly realized spiritual experience. Chit chat is necessary to our wellbeing” (Andy Squyres).

I want my life to be defined by prayer. But not just an intense, monk-like prayer. I want small talk with Jesus. I think that’s what He means when He says to remain in Him and then we can ask whatever we wish, and it will be given to us (John 15:7). $6 lattes are great but give me some .99 cent gas station coffee that comes with no pressure to perform. If Christianity is a relationship, I don’t want my relationship with Jesus to just be serious. That’s no fun! I crave the Jesus who laughed and danced and went on walks with his friends. I want all of Him. I want His presence to infiltrate my whole life, not just the parts that I think are worthy.  

So, I think I want to start taking myself less seriously. I want to feel the grace of God in jokes my girls tell me, and Just Dance parties, and pickup truck rides. Maybe even talk to God about the weather and grab a cup of gas station coffee.