As I share my experiences with you, please know this, I am freely opening up my heart and my life to you in the hope that it will help you with yours. This is a journey of faith, but it requires prayer, and prayer is precious.
When I was a child, I believed that prayer was something that had to be learned. I was taught specific words that needed to be memorized. Once I had learned them, I could easily recite them over and over again.
If I didn’t learn the written words of a prayer, then I couldn’t pray.
For many years, I truly believed this was the only way to pray by using someone else’s words or prayers. But the prayers were stagnant, and I got very bored with them.
In fact, as I would repeat the memorized words (whether aloud or not), my mind would always drift away. I’d find myself thinking about everything else, except the prayer!
My prayers had become automatic, and almost robotic! Let me emphasize again, this was my experience growing up. What was yours?
I always thought that God was not too happy with me because of my mental drifting while praying. I didn’t do it on purpose. I couldn’t seem to stop it! In fact, this still occurs at times. I believe it’s inevitable in our busy and noisy world. But back then, I believe it occurred moreso because the prayers didn’t real mean much to me.
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)
As a young adult, I began to wonder if I could learn to pray on my own — differently — but I didn’t know how. So I looked for books on prayer. I found a book at the time that had prayers in it. They were different than the prayers I knew, but they were still someone else’s written words or prayers.
I continued to wonder. What if I could use my own words to pray to God? Was it possible? What would I say? What could I say? I didn’t know.
It’s quite ironic now, as I write my own words in my attempt to share with you why prayer is so very precious. I’m much older now, and hopefully much wiser!
When I first heard someone pray aloud in their own words, it was actually quite startling! It was very foreign to me. This was different — altogether different.
To me, this prayer was obviously coming from a place of sincerity, yet it was so strange to hear it. The prayer was being expressed from their own thoughts into their own words.
In that enlightening moment, my understanding of prayer began to take on new meaning. I realized that I could pray in my own words, too! I could also express my thoughts into words to pray to God!
All I had to do was convert the thoughts from my own mind, from my own heart, and express them into my own words! How novel!
Prayer no longer needed to be a certain set of words written by someone else!
I realized that prayer was simple and honest. At some point, I also realized that prayer was not just about making my own personal requests to meet my own needs and desires. I began having a desire to pray for others, and I also began to see the positive results of those prayers being answered.
I even began praying for God’s will in my life, instead of my own selfish desires. I wanted to praise God and worship Him, as I had never done before.
Prayer is so very precious! We are to pray to the Lord with sincerity and humility.
For: “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:8)
When we call on the Lord, we begin to pray. Honest prayers come from truth and a heart that seeks God. Truth, along with the grace of God, gives us the ability to talk to Him, even when we feel we don’t deserve it. Come as you are right now to God. Praying is simply talking to Him!
I discovered that prayer is a huge part of having a relationship with God. I could spend time Him, the King of the world! I could actually be in His presence. We could spend time together!
Our Creator wants to spend time with you, too! God also desires our heart. He created you and me to be in relationship with Him. A precious time of prayer and communion with our Savior fills us with joy and peace, and purpose.
As we open our heart and our minds to God, He fills us with the words to speak. Can you believe it? You don’t have to try to figure out what to say, as He will provide everything! He changes us slowly, but certainly. All we have to do is be willing.
God fills us with the desire to thank Him, to praise Him, and to know Him.
Do you love God? He loves you dearly!
For: “God is love.” (1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16)
We all want to spend time with those we love. You want time with those you care about — your parents, your spouse, your friends. God loves us and wants time with us, too! He wants your love as well.
Time with God gives us the strength to walk in His ways. The Word of God, the Bible, guides us.
His Word reveals to us that we are to: “Look for the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.” (1 Corinthians 116:11)
How? By actually seeking Him and His will in prayer. By spending time with God. By making time to do His will and determine our purpose to fulfill it — for we all have a Godly purpose.
God is not some far off King in His royal kingdom. No! God wants us to come into fellowship with Him — to be close to Him. God is our Heavenly Father who wants us to know Him by seeking Him daily, by studying The Bible, and by praying to Him.
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is our Savior. We can call on Him to help us to be obedient to Him through prayer. We can choose to give Him praises and be thankful.
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful to Him and bless His name.” (Psalm 100: 4)
Prayer really is quite simple. There’s no need to make it complicated.
For if: “We confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
No matter what we’ve done wrong in our life, we can confess our sins to God and ask for His forgiveness through prayer. Although, we must repent, which means to turn away from the sin we’ve committed and turn our heart toward God, He gives us the strength to be obedient. It may or may not be overnight, but God begins changing us from the inside out, creating holiness within us through His sanctification process (see previous blog entry on “Sanctification”).
The Bible is clear: “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
Did you read that? The prayer of the righteous “man” is “powerful and effective.”
We need to seek God through prayer for empowerment. Man is referring to all mankind — all people, both men and women.
Prayer can be continual, all day long. We can talk to God any time, or all the time. We can tell Him everything. He wants to hear from us!
“We are to pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
We must also learn to be still for God to communicate with us in His own special ways, whatever they may be. We need to read the Bible, pray for guidance, and we can expect God to give us His direction.
“Be still in the presence of the Lord,and wait patiently for him to act …” (Psalm 37:7)
“Be still, and know that I am God! …” (Psalm 46:10)
To follow Him, we must listen in love for His leading. We need to stay on His path and in prayer.
We are to: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” In other words: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2 and 4:6, respectively)
Patience in all things, especially prayer is a true blessing, while always thanking our Heavenly Father.
“Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and humility, and with earnestly request and, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) – Everything means everything! We need to pray about everything in our life.
We can certainly make requests from God, but they should be asked with humility and seriousness. We should be thankful in advance of our request. We need to learn patience in waiting for God to answer. We must have the right motives with our requests.
Because: “When you ask, and you don’t receive, it is because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your lusts (those things that will give you pleasure).” (James 4:3)
Yet, Jesus Christ said to those who don’t believe in God, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11)
Therefore, “If you ask the Lord with the right motives, and your heart is pure, He will answer [your prayers]. If you seek Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)
Prayer is precious. Pray with faith. Pray without doubt. Pray for the right things and your prayers will be answered.
Jesus said, “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” (Matthew 21:22)
Until we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.
God’s Word for Today: “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.” (1 Peter 4:7)
Copyright © 2014 by Patricia Shehan
