Prayer: Where Do I Begin?
In solitude, quiet meditation and reflection frequently leads to confession of our sins, which very naturally leads to prayer. Prayer helps us to connect with God, to know Him, and to build a deep, intimate, and abiding relationship with Him. In meaningful relationship with God, our souls are transformed to be more like Jesus. Learning and growing in prayer, then, is an important part of the process of spiritual transformation.
The best way to begin a meaningful prayer life is to simply start now with who you are, wherever you may be, and with whatever you can give. Augustine once prayed, “Lord, you stir us to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Our current situation often drives us to pray. Recognizing our needs turns us to God for help, comfort, guidance, endurance, and strength. We often pray about those things that fill our everyday lives. We usually pray about our family, our job, our financial situation, our health, our anxieties, or misfortunes. Sometimes we get a little uncomfortable when we realize our prayers are often full of daily burdens and cares. We think that our prayers should be on a higher spiritual plane than what they actually are. But do not be dismayed over these things. The truth is that we need God. Who of us has the wisdom, strength, stamina, and insight to deal with everything that comes our way? It is very natural for children of God to allow their needs to drive them to their heavenly Father. Just come as you are.
Sometimes we may think that our prayers are not appropriate, eloquent enough, or maybe we struggle to even find the right words to say to God. That’s fine, because Romans 8:26 says that we sometimes don’t know how to pray as we should. The important thing is that we pray. However few our words may be, however we struggle to convey the feelings of our hearts, or however inadequate we may feel to approach God in prayer, pray anyway. Just pray.
Francois Fenelon once prayed, “Lord, help me not to worry about the words, but address you with the language of the heart, that my prayers, while not eloquent, will be sincere.”
As a parent, I was never overly concerned about the exact words of my children whenever they came to me for help, or needed someone to talk to. I was just happy and thankful that they came to me. The key to growing in your relationship with God through prayer comes by simply praying. Just talk to God from a sincere heart, and He will hear you.
The best way to begin a meaningful prayer life is to simply start now with who you are, wherever you may be, and with whatever you can give. Augustine once prayed, “Lord, you stir us to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Our current situation often drives us to pray. Recognizing our needs turns us to God for help, comfort, guidance, endurance, and strength. We often pray about those things that fill our everyday lives. We usually pray about our family, our job, our financial situation, our health, our anxieties, or misfortunes. Sometimes we get a little uncomfortable when we realize our prayers are often full of daily burdens and cares. We think that our prayers should be on a higher spiritual plane than what they actually are. But do not be dismayed over these things. The truth is that we need God. Who of us has the wisdom, strength, stamina, and insight to deal with everything that comes our way? It is very natural for children of God to allow their needs to drive them to their heavenly Father. Just come as you are.
Sometimes we may think that our prayers are not appropriate, eloquent enough, or maybe we struggle to even find the right words to say to God. That’s fine, because Romans 8:26 says that we sometimes don’t know how to pray as we should. The important thing is that we pray. However few our words may be, however we struggle to convey the feelings of our hearts, or however inadequate we may feel to approach God in prayer, pray anyway. Just pray.
Francois Fenelon once prayed, “Lord, help me not to worry about the words, but address you with the language of the heart, that my prayers, while not eloquent, will be sincere.”
As a parent, I was never overly concerned about the exact words of my children whenever they came to me for help, or needed someone to talk to. I was just happy and thankful that they came to me. The key to growing in your relationship with God through prayer comes by simply praying. Just talk to God from a sincere heart, and He will hear you.
Wonderful post, Terry. I might add that the "model prayer," or "the Lord's Prayer" in Matthew 6 doesn't require eloquence - just a humble heart ready to declare its dependence on God for everything. I agree that whatever concerns us concerns our Father who loves us more than we know, and no care or concern is too trivial to bring to Him in prayer. I also like to remind myself that, while prayer changes *things*, the most important thing that prayer changes is *me* - and the simpler and more sincere the prayer, the better.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!