(From our church-wide devotion book at Pinedale Christian Church, "You 2.0”)

Several years ago, one of the most popular game shows on TV was: “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Do you remember the premise? Contestants must correctly answer a series of multiple-choice questions in order to advance to the next level of questions.

• There are 15 questions in total. Each question is worth a specific amount of money, and contestants have a time limit to come up with an answer.
• In addition, contestants get three “lifelines” to assist them if they get stuck on a particular question. They can poll the audience, call a friend on the phone, or let the computer eliminate two of the four answers.
• If they miss the question, they lose everything... or they can walk away at any point and keep the money they’ve earned. But if they answer all 15 questions correctly, they win one million dollars.

When we give our lives to Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior, He gives us a lifeline straight to Him. The lifeline is called prayer. When we reach out to Him, He always gives us the correct answer, and He is right 100% of the time!

As God states in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
You see because God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, we now have a direct line to God the Father. Prayer is not a wish list like a child would make for Santa Claus. It is an opportunity to talk to our Heavenly Father about everything. This two- way communication strengthens us, provides wisdom, and builds our relationship with God.
As you learn the new features of You, 2.0, don’t neglect your 24/7 support line. The Bible gives us a tutorial on how it works:

WHEN YOU PRAY, GET ALONE WITH GOD AND POUR YOUR HEART TO HIM
Matthew 6:5-8, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seenby others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

WHEN YOU PRAY, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

WHEN YOU PRAY, PRAY WITH RIGHT MOTIVES
1 John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

WHEN YOU PRAY, PRAY FOR OTHERS
James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

WHEN YOU PRAY, DO NOT BE STRESSED AND ANXIOUS
Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

You see, whenever we need answers about anything in life, we have 24/7 access to the throne of God. We can talk to God anytime and anyplace. He wants us to talk to Him all the time and pour our hearts out to Him.

Here are some heartfelt prayers from little children:
“Dear God, instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t you just keep the ones you got now?” -Jane
“Dear God, I went to a wedding, and they kissed right at Church. Is that ok?” -Neil
“Dear God, I’m American. What are you?” -Robert
“Dear God, thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.” -Joyce
“Dear God, we read that Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday school, they said you did it. So I bet he stole your idea.” -Donna
“Dear God, maybe Cain and Abel would not hate each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother.” –Larry
Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; source:

Patricia Sullivan, “’Christian Lady’ Cleaned for 6 Presidents,” The Washington Post (6-21-09)

(Con't to the comment below)