Do You Need A Lesson in Prayer?

One night while praying with my four-year-old at bedtime, I learned something about prayer. As I prayed “Lord be with us as we sleep”, my son gently interrupted me. He said, “But mom, God is always with us.” Pausing long enough to let that powerful truth sink in, I responded “you’re right. It’s kind of silly praying for something we already have. Maybe we should change our prayer to thank God for always being with us.”

This experience revealed how our prayers had become automatic flow of words. It is sad when our communication with the Creator of the Universe become routine. We hardly notice what we’re saying.

Have you stopped to consider what and how you pray? Are you stuck saying a memorized or routine prayer each day?

A lesson in prayer

Take a lesson from a four-year-old, God is with us. Stop asking for what we already have and start thanking Him for it instead. Remember all He has done for us and all He’s given us already and thank Him.

Think about conversations you have with your best friend. Do you talk about the same thing every time you speak to them? Probably not. Do you constantly replay the same scenario over and over? I doubt it. So why would we with God?

Here are a few suggestions: Make a gratitude list. Think of what you are thankful for and then praise God for it. Think of others around you. What problems are they facing? Pray for God’s will in their lives. Think of the toughest problem you’re facing. Ask God for wisdom and discernment and guidance on what you should do about it. He is waiting for you to ask for help. He will gladly help you. Try asking God to show you what needs to change in your life. Like David said in Psalm 26:2 NKJV “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.”

Don’t think you need to do all of these suggestions at once. Rather pick one and try it. See if it helps open you up to God.

Lord help us to seek you as humble as a child would. Teach us to pray that our relationship with you would grow each day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.