One of the key components of Lent is prayer. It is through prayer that we unite ourselves with God, worshipping, seeking, confessing, and reflecting. Sometimes, I sit down to pray and feel like I am spouting off a laundry list of requests, like a kid running through his Christmas wish list with Santa at the mall. I always feel a bit uncomfortable doing this, as I feel like I’m asking too much of God. I ask for healing, wisdom, comfort, peace and an array of other things on behalf of many people. While I feel compelled to petition God this way (people need prayer!), I don’t really feel a true connection with God in these prayers, as I’m doing most of the talking.
Other times, I pray by talking with God as I would a friend. I tell him what’s on my mind, and He responds. If I ask for advice, He gives it, just as any of my friends would. Unlike any of my mortal friends, however, God’s responses are infinitely wise and loving. They are also surprisingly simple. That’s how I know when I am truly hearing His voice and not my own: I could never come up with such profound thoughts on my own!
Sometimes my prayers are lengthy. Sometimes they are short. Sometimes they are desperate pleas. Other times they are hopeful requests. Often times they are loving exaltations and declarations of my love. Sometimes they are prayers of repentance. Other times they are prayers of thanksgiving. Most of the time, my prayers are solitary. Other times, they are in communion with others.
Regardless of how you pray, God wants you to pray. You don’t have to be a first rate orator. You don’t have to pray out loud even. You don’t even need to set aside a specific time. Just pray constantly in your head!
1 Thessalonians 5 says, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Sometimes though, I don’t know what to pray. Or maybe I just have too much to pray about and don’t know where to begin. That’s when I turn to the ultimate prayer: The Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew 6 [NIV], Jesus writes:
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
The reason I call this the ultimate prayer is because it contains everything you could possibly need in a prayer. It contains exaltation, supplication, and repentance.
My favorite line of the prayer is, “Your will be done.” Doesn’t that say it all? If we just pray for God’s will, how can we go wrong?
Another favorite line of mine is “give us this day our daily bread.” Max Lucado, in his book The Great House of God, brings another view to this phrase. He states that bread can be literal, but can also be a euphemism for God’s word. “Give us today our spiritual food.”
Regardless of how you pray, just know that when you talk to God with an open and honest heart, you are communing with Him. If you are not accustomed to praying regularly, Lent is a great time to begin. Give God your time, attention and your heart. You won’t be sorry.
2 comments:
When I was growing up a pastor talked about this same topic. It always has kind of stuck with me. He explained prayer is like a pipeline to God. The pipeline gets clogged with our sins and transgressions so it is very important for us to ask for forgiveness so that not only our pipe will be cleaned and he can hear our requests and prayers better, but also so we are asking with a pure heart. He also said that it is very important to praise him and thank him for all our blessings in every prayer as well. Kind of a simple analogy, but it is a good reminder at least to me. Often we are so quick to ask for the things we want, that we forget to praise, thank, and ask for forgiveness.
I like that analogy!
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