I’ve been flying a lot recently. We have a project in Houston, and in case I haven’t mentioned it recently, Houston’s the worst.

Anyway… I think your prayer life can go a long way in revealing the state of your heart. This became apparent to me when, for the second Thursday in a row, I was flying back to Dallas on a blue sky day with inexplicable turbulence forcing the plane up and down and side to side. My palms got sweaty and beads of moisture began forming on my forehead and upper lip. I was perspiring more than I had been three hours earlier while climbing around the roof of an elementary school in Houston’s humidiful hundred degree blast furnace, and I found myself praying for safety, smooth skies and steady hands for the pilots.

Less than an hour later, as we touched down, I was whispering words of thanks and praise, and then it hit me. What if these instinctual prayers could be flip flopped? What if I didn’t just pray in earnest when faced with situations wholly outside of “my control?” What if I spent more of my time on the ground petitioning and persistently begging God for more faith, wisdom and love for Him and other people? And then what if in crisis I could thank Him for the abundance of blessings in my life, for the countless opportunities He’s provided and worship Him for His perfect truth and infinite grace?

What if we could have a right understanding of our significance in life and Christ’s complete power over and defeat of death?

What do your prayers say about you?