Build Your Altars - The Altar of Prayer

Have you ever had one of those mornings where everything seemed to be going fine. You got up at the first chime of the alarm clock. You prayed and fellowshipped with God. You showered in record time. Your hair just cooperated. The mascara wand didn't goop up. You were going to be EARLY to work. ON A MONDAY.
Yeah, that's the morning I had this morning. Well, until I was getting ready to walk out the door that is. When I went to find my keys, I couldn't find them anywhere. I always lay them right beside my purse. ALWAYS.
It just so happens that last night I had put my purse down on my nightstand beside the tissue box. And my keys were on top of the tissue box. WERE is the operative word here. Because this morning when I went to pick up my keys, they were NOT on top of the tissue box. An insane search began. I looked under my bed. I looked in my trashcan. I looked under my couch. I looked in my car. I LOOKED EVERYWHERE. Everywhere that is except for INSIDE the tissue box, UNDER all the tissues. Where my dear cat has so lovingly placed my keys for safekeeping. Wasn't that nice of him?
Now, I'm sure that you're wondering what all of that has to do with an altar of prayer. Well, I prayed when I first woke up this morning. But I prayed again when I realized that I had not A CLUE where my keys were. I prayed that God would help me to calm down and think clearly about where my keys were.
We have to have constant lines of communication open with God. During the calm moments and the hectic moments. Now, finding my keys may not be a huge deal to you. I probably wouldn't start a prayer chain about it or anything. But this morning it was very important to ME, and because it was important to me, it was important to God.
The point is that He wants us to cast ALL our cares upon Him. (I Peter 5:7) I've faced harder storms than missing keys in my life, but no matter what I have faced, God has been there with me. He loves me. And He wants me to share the troubles of my life with Him.
He also wants me to share the joys of life with Him. I'm very thankful that everything else went smoothly this morning. And God cares about that too.
There is no problem too small in my life for God to care about. And there is no problem too big in my life for God to handle.
I just have to have to keep that altar of prayer. I have to remember that there is always a place that I can go. ANYTIME. ANYWHERE. James 5:16b says it this way:

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Our prayers DO matter to God. He does listen to our pleas. Our prayers avail much if we are living in God's right will.
So when you feel that you are all alone, go to that altar of prayer. You will find answers there that you never imagined. And hey, you never know when YOU might lose your keys!