I don't pray often enough

When I was in high school I had a good friend Melysa (we are still friends, though we don't get to see each other often). She asked me a question when we were teenagers and my answer surprised even me. She asked, "what one thing, more than any other, helped build your relationship with God?"

Without hesitation I said, "prayer."

I don't believe prayer has to be in proper English or in a specific location. In my opinion, those kind of rules are man-made. It is my belief that God just wants us to talk to him. I have a morning routine: get up before the sun, read something that focuses my day on Christ, spend a little time in prayer. Sometimes, but not often, during the day I think to pray about things going on.

Here is what I am realizing...on my own I don't have any power to change things. I recently told someone, travel reminds me of my lack of control, my powerlessness. I have some influence over whether or not I make it to the airport on time (and there are even unexpected things in that journey I cannot control). I cannot control if my plane takes off on time, is delayed or cancelled. I cannot control if my luggage arrives, takes a world tour of it's own, or gets lost in the abyss and ends up at one of those lost luggage stores. I cannot control if my plane lands safely or not. I am utterly powerless in all of these travel situations...and so much more in life. On my own I don't have any power to change things.

But, I do believe there is a God in heaven who has the power to influence things I cannot. So, why am I not talking with Him more? why am I not lifting more of my burdens to Him? I live so much of my life with these illusions of control (power) and I should be taking these concerns to the most powerful one in the universe. If I truly believe God is powerful and I truly believe that more than any other thing prayer has helped build my relationship with God, why do I limit it to a morning ritual? I don't pray often enough and need to make an effort to pray more.