Romans 12:12
Verse 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Another way we can go beyond the basics in our faith life is in the discipline of prayer. Of course prayer is something we all know we should do, but most of us would agree we don’t do it as often as we should. It isn’t like it is a hard practice as most of us don’t struggle with talking about things which are on our minds and hearts. The main problem may actually be that we can’t see the One we are talking to.
Sure, we talk to people on the telephone without seeing them but that isn’t the same because unless it is a business call, we are probably excited to talk to the person on the other end of the line. We don’t need to see their face because we know them. It isn’t their face which drives the conversation, it is the heart behind the face, a heart we hold dear. This may be what our prayer lives are missing.
It isn’t that we don’t know God or even love Him, it is how our heart and mind view Him. If He is viewed as merely a God in our lives we may see Him as unreachable and too far off from us for us to feel like He is close enough to communicate with. We have never seen Him and may not be accustomed to looking for evidence of His existence around us. We can’t deny He is there though.
Many of us would find ourselves with sweaty palms and a stuttering issue if we were to meet a celebrity, royalty, or high ranking officials. We may find it hard to come up with the simplest words because the words totally disappear from our mind in the presence of someone we see as higher than ourselves. Or because we see ourselves as lower beings we think we need to talk a certain way. This is why sometimes we hear people saying they don’t know how to pray, because in their minds we need to talk fancy in our prayers so God will hear us.
No matter the reason we give, there should be a desire in our heart to talk to the One who has not only given us life but wants to give it to us in abundance. Talking to the Lord should become as natural to us as talking on the phone to our best friend. We should come to a place where we can talk to Him about each and every thing which comes to mind, no matter where we are or the time of day.
Making It Personal
How comfortable are you with praying? Do you talk to Him often? What topic do you struggle praying about?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you like to pray? What can you talk to Jesus about? Is there a special way you have to pray?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for wanting to hear from us. Give us hearts which long to talk to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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