In previous blogs we have discussed that prayer is a heartfelt conversation with God and helps us build a relationship with him. The purpose of prayer is not to get what we want, but to come into oneness with the living God. Therefore prayer can have many components: praise (1 Chronicles 29:10-13), adoration (Ephesians 3:14-21), thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20), supplication (Matthew 7:7, Philippians 4:6), confession (Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9), and so on.
However, prayer doesn’t need to be a complicated process. We don’t need a fancy vocabulary or a hushed tone of voice to have a conversation with God. God never slumbers or sleeps, so we can talk to him anytime about anything. We just need to do it and do it often.
There was a long article on prayer, The Right Way to Pray, in the September 16, 2008 New York Times Magazine. Although not much was said about why people pray, I’ve always remembered Rabbi Gellman’s interview on the subject. He said, “But really, when you come right down to it, there are only four basic prayers. Gimme! Thanks! Oops! and Wow!”
I think he may have something there. “Gimme” is when you want something. “Thanks” expresses gratitude. “Oops” is for forgiveness. “Wow” is more for praise for God’s awesomeness. And, of course, many prayers can contain all of these components.
Here’s a little prayer we can all say every morning…
Here’s a little idea if we are ever at a loss for what to pray about. Just fill in these blanks to get started. I’m sure we could all come up with a lot more.
- Lord I thank you for…
- Lord I’m sorry for…
- Jesus I’m trusting you with…
- God I need help with…
- Father my friend needs help with…
- God please protect us from…
- Lord when I look at your creation I think…
Another idea is to prayerfully read Bible passages. Psalms is a good place to start. Then listen for what God is trying to teach us through His Word.
Some like to write their prayers in a prayer journal.
Some like to sit and read their Bibles in a beautiful garden to get inspired.
Some take “prayer walks” in the neighborhood, in parks, or on nature trails.
Some listen to hymns and meditate on the words.
Here’s the deal: We need to pray and pray often. So what if we need a little plan to get us started? Or determine to pray at least ten minutes a day without distractions? We need to do whatever it takes to motivate us to prayer. Although prayer is heartfelt communication with God we can’t always wait until we feel like praying. Sometimes it is as uncomplicated as just doing it, then the feeling will come.
Soon we will be pouring out hearts out to God and realizing that…
- …nothing is too small to take to God. If it’s big enough for you to worry about, then it’s big enough to pray about.
- …nothing is too big to take to God. It may seem overwhelming to us but God’s perspective is different.
- …nothing is too private to take to God. We talk to him about things we can’t talk to anyone else about.
- …nothing is too shameful to take to God. Things we seek to hide from others we can tell God.
We don’t need to complicate prayer; we just need to do it!
