I hope you're somewhere PRAYING.

You know those people who are really good at praying? They put sentences together so fluently and use unique words that sound wise and intelligent. I am sometimes envious of “good prayers”. I find myself wishing I could put words together as they do. That maybe if my prayers were more polished God would listen a little more closely to them. I was reading in 1 Corinthians today and verse 17 stopped me in my tracks: 

“For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.”

Now, this verse isn't talking about prayer directly, but there was something about “clever speech” that got me thinking. There have been many times I’ve been asked to pray and when I finish the prayer I realize I wasn't thinking about God at all. I was thinking about saying “pretty” words and “doing it right”. My selfish tendency to look good in front of other people totally took control and I missed the whole point of what prayer is supposed to be; a conversation with God. 

I’ve always looked up to my mom’s prayer life. Her prayers are real and genuine. They don't sound like she’s trying too hard to make them pretty or clever. She lets Holy Spirit flow through her and He gives her the words she needs to say. That’s what God wants from us. He wants us just as we are.

I have a previous post called “Spend time with God and make it your own!” where I talk about having a daily time alone with the Lord. If you're interested go back and give it a read! But, since I touched on praying out loud I also want to talk about praying in solitude. 

I sometimes feel defeated when it comes to praying by myself. I tend to talk a lot and pray a lot about myself. It wasn't until I read a devotion called “Centering on God” that I realized I was being way too loud in my time with the Lord. The devotion talked about the practice of “a prayer of consent”—this kind of prayer is focused on stillness in God’s presence and complete submission to Him. Letting your mind get quiet and letting God fill every space. 

The writer, Kathy Callahan-Howell, wrote, “Centering prayer teaches that, instead of an irritated reaction to unwanted, distracting thoughts that interrupt our prayer focus, we can use sacred words to gently brush the pesky thoughts away.” 

At first glance, this kind of freaked me out but I gave it a go. I began the meditation breathing deeply and trying not to think about anything. God put this sentence in my head and I repeated it over and over.  

Healer of my soul, lover of my heart, the author of my days, with you is where I start.

I finished that meditation with tears streaming down my cheeks. In making myself be quiet I was reminded that none of this is about me, it’s all about Him. He knows my everyday worries and requests. He knows the people in my life that need prayer. In this time of meditation, I was able to give all of that to Him without ever saying a word. 

I hope these words on prayer encouraged you today. Prayer is everything. It is our way of communicating with our Father. I pray after reading this you would be confident praying with others and also not afraid of silence when you're praying alone. No matter what your prayers look like or sound like they are ALL heard. Never stop praying. 

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ~1 John 5:14

Resources referenced: “Centering On God” by Kathy Callahan-Howell found in Everyday Matters Bible for Women