The
day before Billy Graham’s interview in 1982 on The Today Show, his director of
public relations, Larry Ross, requested a private room for Graham to pray in
before the interview. But when Mr. Graham arrived at the studio, his assistant
informed Ross that Mr. Graham didn’t need the room. He said, “Mr. Graham
started praying when he got up this morning, he prayed while eating breakfast,
he prayed on the way over in the car, and he’ll probably be praying all the way
through the interview.” Ross later said, “That was a great lesson for me to
learn as a young man.”
Prayerfulness
is not an event; it is a way of being in relationship with God. This kind of
intimate relationship is developed when God’s people view prayerfulness as a
way of life. The Psalms encourage us to begin each day by lifting our voice to
the Lord (Ps. 5:3); to fill our day with conversations with God (55:17); and in
the face of accusations and slander, to give ourselves totally to prayer
(109:4). We develop prayer as a way of life because we desire to be with God
(42:1-4; 84:1-2; 130:5-6).
Prayer
is our way of connecting with God in all life’s circumstances. God is always
listening. We can talk to Him any time throughout the day.