Washer-Whispering and Whispered Prayers

I call myself a “washer whisperer”. You’ve heard of horse whisperers communicating with horses?  Well, I have a wild washer in the basement that I need to whisper sweet nothings to on a fairly regular basis to keep it washing, rinsing and spinning.

The need for the whispering started about two or three years ago when all of a sudden the washer started chiming a different tune and blinking an error message.  A new washer definitely wasn’t in the budget, and neither was an expensive repair, but we did get it checked out for a nominal fee and had a part replaced.  The repairman left with the advice that it should be good to go, but if the error message returned within the next 30 days, we should call them back.  Of course, it was about day 33 when the error message with its not-so-amusing chiming rang out.  I didn't bother to call the repairman back.

I quickly learned what buttons needed to be pushed, and in what sequence, and what dispensers to completely empty in order to coerce the washer into another load.   Of course pulling the plug for a PF (Power Failure) for a hard re-set seemed to work too.

There had been no error messages for quite some time until last week.  Of course, this would be on the day before heading out from Winnipeg to Brandon for an overnight volleyball tournament with my son.  Kind of crucial to get some laundry done, including shorts, socks and volleyball gear, never mind the mounds of laundry for everyone else in the family.

The washer chimed its error song and I went through my usual re-set routine; power on, power off (multiple times), and finally unplug.  And then I did what I probably should have lead with … “Oh God, help me.  I really need to get the laundry done.”  

Plug in.  And wash.

You’d think I would have learned by now to perhaps start with prayer.  How often do I try and accomplish tasks and handle situations on my own first, and only when I feel things slipping away do I finally get on my knees and ask Him for help?! 

I have become a pray-er.  I may struggle with going to church on Sundays (and so I am probably considered a lost soul by Mennonite relatives), but I have never stopped talking to God and doing my best to tune my ear to hear what He wants to say to me.  

We used to go to a church where the pastor preached spending time in your "prayer closet"; just you and God, alone for a certain specified amount of time.  While I think that's a great idea, at the time I was a mom with 4 small children, and my only closet time was spent either finding clothes or sundry lost items, or hiding out for a few minutes of peace and quiet.

I struggled with feeling "less-than" because I just didn't have the time (or energy) to retreat in silent prayer.  I had an epiphany of sorts, and understood that God was going to be satisfied with whatever I could offer up to him during the course of my day.   That was incredibly freeing to me, and I believe that this revelation was what set me on the path to be a pray-er; to pray about everything; to never stop praying.

It doesn't matter if I'm driving in my car, riding on the bus, walking from here to there at the office, while I'm cooking, baking or even doing laundry.  My Father God delights in hearing from me when I pray and wait on Him.  I'm not a great orator or "out-loud" pray-er, but I know without a doubt that He hears all of my whispered prayers.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

¹⁶ Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-9"

⁴ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! ⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.⁹ Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.