I was at a meeting that was coming to an end when the woman conducting the meeting said, “Let’s pray.”

We took our normal prayer posture, bowing our heads and closing our eyes, waiting to listen to a prayer from someone else.

The person conducting the meeting said, “I’ve taught my kids to pray with their eyes open, so let’s pray with our eyes open.”

I was struck by her statement to pray with our eyes open. My mind started racing with thoughts about how important it is to pray with our eyes open and what a difference it would make in one’s prayer life (to say nothing of how much safer it would be when driving while I pray).

To pray with our eyes open would mean we could see the things and events happening around us and then immediately pray for them.

To pray with our eyes open would mean we could be more focused on others, instead of ourselves, in our prayers.

To pray with our eyes open, might mean that instead of being offended by the store clerk wearing the “Happy Holidays” pin, we might be inspired to say a prayer for clerks working on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

To pray with our eyes open would mean we could pray for the people we see each and every day. To pray with our eyes open would mean we could pray for the stranger we see but do not know. Perhaps praying with our eyes open is a way to achieve the practice to “pray continually” (First letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 17 — Common English Bible).

These two words “pray continually” are part of a brief letter to an ancient church. I think of prayer as having a conversation with God.

These are just two words, two profound words, “pray continually,” that are potentially life changing. I do not normally pray with my eyes open. My normal prayer posture is to bow my head and close my eyes.

To pray with our eyes open would help us to “pray continually” because our days would be spent praying for the things we see when we see them. This could be life changing.

After saying she taught her children to pray with their eyes open, the woman added: “I’ve taught them that so they won’t fall asleep while praying.”

That’s another good reason to pray with our eyes open. Praying with Your eyes open is great, you should try it! Next time you get ready to pray, try praying with Your eyes open! https://peacewithgod.net/

Shared with you by Rev. Jeff Miller senior pastor of First United Methodist Church