PRAYER

I've been feeling like I should share some of the things in my heart about prayer.

Prayer is a wonderful thing yet so misunderstood. It is over-spiritualised by many charismatics, and made over-religious by others. Yet it is simply one very beautiful thing: a conversation with our ever-loving God. That's it! It's a conversation.

Now the Bible does talk about different types of prayer (intercession, prayer of agreement etc), but let's not let this scare us off. In everyday life, we have different types of conversations don't we? We have nice, easy conversations over coffee with friends; we have formal conversations with colleagues; we have silly conversations with our children; we have serious conversations with our spouse about household matters.  So, don't let prayer be a scary concept, and think you need to have a set spiritual vocabulary, full of thy/thee/thine/knoweth/doeth....and all other words we would never use in any other setting. Just use your own words. Think of intercession etc as simply a different type of prayer conversation.

Just talk to God, the loving Father Who just wants to hear your voice, and craves your love and devotion. Tell Him your thoughts, your cares and your needs. Talk to Him about anything you like. That is prayer.


These everyday conversations mentioned above all have something in common. They're two-way. When you pray, don't forget to have a moment of quiet to let God respond. You may not hear anything and that's ok, it doesn't mean God hasn't heard, or isn't bothered. Sometimes, you might just have a quiet moment and you feel His presence or His love wash over you. That's lovely. When my husband says nothing, and just gives me a cuddle, that's better than any words. It's what I really need.

Jesus says that His sheep know His voice. He also said that He would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to us, Who would teach us all things.  I truly believe that God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. It takes time, but if we want to hear Him, I believe we can hear God speak to us. But if you never give Him chance, you never will. Don't miss His peace and His loving presence as I believe this is often the means by which He answers us. We ask Him about something and we have a peace, confirming it's all good, or conversely, an absence of peace. But the Holy Spirit is our guide. The way He often guides us is that inner "gut feeling" or that easy positive feeling we have about something. That is God guiding you, answering you and leading you.

So don't be afraid to pray. Just as talking to your spouse or your children is a vital part of your relationship, so should prayer be. Prayer is simply talking to God. We can't have a relationship with someone we never speak to. So I encourage you, make prayer a daily thing.

If you're really struggling, can I suggest a simple prayer in the morning to start the day, along the lines of this:
"Lord, thank you for loving me. I give today to You, with all my cares and anxieties. Fill me with Your love and grace. I thank You that You are with me today, that You never leave me or forsake me."