One thing I have realized recently is the true importance of prayer. I have always talked with God regularly, but I didn't fully understand just how important prayer is. I wasn't relying solely on God's faithfulness or his plan to carry me through life. I was relying on myself and just asking God to help me along the way. This was wrong of me. Instead, I should have asked God to take control of the situations that I was placed in, to lead me to where I should be, and to have me do what he would want me to do. I was pursuing the paths that I wanted to pursue, which was not always God's plan for me.

1 Peter 5:7 says: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Seems simple, right? Just tell God what your problem is or what decisions you need to make, and he will take care of you. But that's not all. We have to cast again and keep casting, and casting, and casting. We can't just tell God our problems one time and then keep trying to do things our way. We have to show God that we are willing to stop pursuing the resolution that we want and start pursuing the resolution that he wants. We have to be willing to see God's plan for us instead of our own.

I know what it's like to feel distant from God. There have been times where I felt like he was ignoring me and that he wasn't going to make a move in my life. The problem really was that even though I was praying and asking God to help me, I was still trying to do things my way on my own. God wasn't being distant from me, I was being distant from him.

So when it gets harder to pray, pray harder. When we're struggling with school work, or family troubles, or work drama, just remember: Cast your anxiety on him, trust that he will take care of your problems, and stop relying on yourself to handle the weight of the world. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28