Prayer Priorities?

Have you ever thought about your prayer priorities?  What gets feverishly prayed over and what gets left behind for occasional lip service?

I have been considering this a lot lately as I have just generally been neglectful in praying.  The really top line items will get hit fairly regularly but everything else pretty much gets lost.  I realize that I'm super busy just like everyone else in America and it's easy to fall asleep when you've been up with cranky kids the night before, but what have we let turn to crumbs on the floor instead of our main course? 

For me, it's marriage.  Now that I have children, they definitely get prayed for every day.  I have to admit I'm not as diligent as my husband on a daily basis from a time perspective, but I definitely pray for them each day.  For their health, for their future, for their development, for their heart and soul, and every single day I thank God for giving them to us.  I truly do not believe a day has passed in 16 months where I am not completely speechless at these amazing blessings running through my house.  They are perfect, even when they're not. 

But that re-prioritization of prayers for my children, coupled with intense sleep deprivation and times of distant fellowship with God, has led to my marriage getting the prayer equivalent of crumbs on the floor instead of prime rib on the china. 

What is particularly astonishing, and saddening, about this fact is that my parents got divorced.  I waited a long time to get married because I would rather have stayed single than gone through a divorce or had my children experience their parents splitting up.  And in the first years of my marriage not only was I praying constantly about my marriage but I was reading every "how to have a good marriage" book out there and even leading marriage bible studies!!!!  I was serious about making sure I didn't fall into the trap of letting my marriage play second fiddle to anything.  Amazing what having triplets will do to your perspective.  And in the first year of having kids I am embarrassed to say that I never thought, "Gosh, maybe we're having these fights because I'm not praying about our marriage or trying to seek God's direction."  Instead, I just said, "we had triplets, this is what happens."  What an opportunity missed!

Well I am determined to make a change.  This May is my fifth wedding anniversary.  I am madly in love with my husband and I am determined to make sure that not only does he know it but that God does too.  That God is super clear on the fact that I am devoted and dedicated to this man and this marriage, and I will daily seek His guidance on what I should do to become a better wife and have a stronger marriage.  I will continue to pray for my children.  And I certainly hope I will add in prayers for my extended family and friends who bring their prayer requests to me with trust.  But I will no longer let my marriage be the crumbs on the floor.  They will be the prime rib on the china on a candlelit table with a tablecloth and steamed asparagus and chocolate cake.

What are your prayer priorities?  Is it time to make a change?