I don’t meet many people who think they are very good at prayer. It may be that we have a faulty concept of what prayer looks like. We have this picture of men and women of God spending hours on their knees in prayer, and certainly there have been and are those who do so. The truth is that for most of us prayer is a conundrum. We don’t think we are good at it, our minds wander, and we pretty much feel like we are failures, at least when measured against some unknown measure of what prayer should be.

So let's try to simplify prayer. I love the Lord’s prayer because, in that prayer, Jesus teaches us that prayer can be simple. We are praying to the Lord who is in heaven and whose name is honored and holy. We pray that His will will be done through us today, just as His will is done in heaven. We ask that He would provide our daily needs and forgive our sin, as we forgive those who have sinned against us. We ask him to lead us in paths of righteousness and deliver us from the evil one. And we are reminded that His is the power and glory for ever and ever. There is nothing complex about the prayer itself but the themes have amazing reach. 

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law back in the day would construct elaborate prayers and make a show of their supposed piety. Jesus says, no! Simply talk to me about the important things. Keep it simple, keep it real and be reminded of what is important to me.

This last concept is important. We often come to God with all of our requests and He invites us to do that. But prayer is what I call time exposure to God. And as our hearts are open in His presence we start to understand His desire for our lives and, rather than our prayers changing His heart in some way, that time exposure changes our hearts and we come into greater alignment with Him. 

And remember that prayer is conversation with God. I am not personally good at long blocks of prayer by myself. What I am good at is talking to God throughout the day on all sorts of topics. And it often happens that He talks back. Why should I be surprised? We are in relationship with God and conversation is a two way street. As I talk to Him, he drops insights into my heart often about the very things I was praying about. Remember, prayer is time exposure to God and it ultimately brings our hearts into greater alignment with His heart. 

We are encouraged to talk to God on all occasions, about all issues, needs, and concerns. Try walking through your day simply conversing with Him. You will be changed and He will talk back. 

Father, I thank you that you're a personal God to whom I can bring any and all of my issues. Give me the gift of walking with you in a conscious way through my day both in conversation with you and listening to you. Amen.