Dear Guts is the Key reader. I know that most of my writings here are of a professional nature. Still, I promised ongoing positive inspirational messages, full of faith, courage and spiritual help. I will keep my promise.

     One of my favorite spiritual topics is prayer. The reason for this is that prayer is one of the chief pursuits of my life. I find well springs of personal strength in prayer. I find vast stores of wisdom in prayer. I find great reservoirs of peace and serenity in prayer’s practice. I even benefit  greatly in my professional acumen, because of deep prayer.

     Since it is such a critical part of my life. I like to share thoughts of how it may help you in your life.

     Effective Prayer is a Hand-off of the control of our lives.  Except that Prayer is a spiritual Hand-off. In a relay race, the baton must be passed to the next runner while the race is being run. There is no progress without the baton being passed. Prayer is like this, except that God is the one taking the hand-off, so that the race will continue.

     In football there are hand-offs also. Where the ball is; is the principal thing of the game. For the team to have any kind of chance of winning; there must be a successful hand-off that takes care of the ball, while moving it forward.

     No taking care of the baton. No chance at winning the relay race. No taking care of the football. No chance at winning the football game. The comparison that can be drawn to human relationships is obvious. There are times we must give responsibility to others and take responsibility from others effectively, in order to win at this game of life.

     Yet there is a comparison that needs to be made about our relationship to God that is not so obvious. Prayer is a hand-off of another kind. It is a hand-off of the will and control of our lives to God. It is a transaction. A prayerful transaction. A definite giving of something to God. And a definite receiving of something from Him. The baton that we pass off in prayer is control.

     Many times when I pray; I know I am not finished until control is wrested from my tight fingers and released into the wise hands of God. Other times when I pray; I can not even get started, until I can complete the transaction of handing off the controls of my life to Him. Prayer is never a static thing. It is a living communication with God; so it is rarely the same twice in a row.

     But some things are always the same, about healthy prayer. Giving the controls to God is a constant in the dimension of prayer. Praying without giving the controls to God is like trying to run the relay race, without being willing to let go of the baton. It is like trying to win the game, without being willing to let go of the football. You can not win if you do not make this transaction.

     Here’s an idea. Next time you pray. Take the time on your knees needed to make this hand-off. I do this at night, when there are not time restrictions. It requires some work. Relay runners practice this part of their race repeatedly, because it takes practice to continue the race and hand the baton off.

     Football players practice some type of hand off, on every play. The ball is always snapped, thrown & handed-off to make progress. Meaningful prayer is like that. Sometimes it is a snap to hand the controls of our life over to the care of God. We just do it and know it is done.

     Sometimes, it is a hand-off and we clearly, personally hand it over to God. And lastly it can be a throw; that the only way to get control from our hands to God’s is to literally thrust it from our own hands and aim it in God’s direction, trusting Him to catch it.

     Yet, however you do it. This is critical stuff to having spiritual communion with God. You must hand-off the control to Him daily, to move forward in the race & win the game. No hand-off. No vitality and effectiveness in prayer.

     Why not try handing off the controls to God today? Use some of the suggestions I have made here.  You will find that this transaction will bless your life more than any other, if made correctly. It can supply springs of personal strength, vast stores of wisdom, great reservoirs of peace and serenity and even benefit  greatly your professional career.

“Slam” Tim G Carter – Inspirational Communicator