Have you though of prayer as a discipline? There are a lot of books out there about prayer, and most approach this gift from God as something that begins with us. True, Jesus does tell us that we are to pray, but God's desire in prayer is not like the giving of a report to your boss. It's more like the conversation that you had with your mom and dad when you got home from school and something exciting or scary or bad had happened. It's that desire to simply share what went on that day, to have them share in the joy and wonder and fear of life.
When we think of prayer in this light, that makes it a less daunting task. We've heard pastors and others telling us to develop a prayer life, making it seem like another item on the to-do list. While free-flowing prayer is a great thing, there is also the intentional planning out of time and the organizing of thought that takes place. If you are married, you probably have to carve out time to spend with your spouse to talk about the day. With our busy schedules, the same thing also goes in our conversation with God.
The biggest thing God tells us about prayer is that He simply wants us to be doing it. It may be from the heart, or it may be written out. It may be really deep thoughts that you share, or surface level chatter. The thing is, God wants us to have that conversation with Him. Yes, for some of us, it may require more discipline than it does for others. That's okay. It's a gift from God, and He wants us to recognize it as such, even when we struggle to fit it in the daily schedule or routine.
One of the joys of this gift is that there really isn't a right way or a wrong way to pray. True, some things we share or ask for may be more appropriate than others, but in the end, the acknowledgment is that everything comes from God, even the gift of prayer. So why not think of some time today to talk to your great Father, who is eagerly awaiting your conversation with Him?
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