Pray

I Timothy 2:1-3
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

Pray every way you know how. What does that mean? We can pray silently, aloud, in public, in private, in song, in unintelligible groanings; according to this verse we should not only be praying in multiple ways but also for everyone we know. How exactly do we do that? Do we have to say their names? I don't think so, but this does make me rethink the way I have prayed in the past. My prayer list is finite, but God's mercy is infinite. I have a limited view of what God can do, but He is limitless. I don't think I can wrap my mind around this concept. I want so much for God to answer my prayers my way, immediately and quickly. That's not what He does.
If I pray to live my life simply, in humble contemplation, all the other personal requests will fall into place. The older I get, the longer I live, the more I study His word, the more I realize that I have been off base in my spiritual life far too long. My priorities have been so off base. I have focused too much on this earthly life. This world is not my home. I should really only be focused on eternity, on taking my friends and family with me to heaven.