Prayer as a Process
If you’ve ever watched toddlers pray, you may have seen the way they scrunch up their faces in an effort to keep their eyes closed. Or, how they wiggle attempting to keep their hands in their laps and their heads down. Or, the way they get so excited once the prayer’s over knowing they made it all the way through.
Does your prayer life ever look a little like a toddler’s? Squirmy, forced and more about completion than the process.
While we’re in the midst of day-to-day living, prayer oftentimes feels all over the place. However, Scripture is full of truth and examples of what a healthy prayer life looks like no matter what life season we’re in. It starts in the beginning.
In the garden, Adam and Eve had complete and tangible access to God. They spoke to Him and He heard and answered audibly (Genesis 2-3). But, when they disobeyed the Lord and listened to the voice of the serpent, sin entered and as a result, they were driven out of the garden (Genesis 3:23-24). The voice they listened to mattered.
However, God in His goodness didn’t cut off communication. Prayer is the means we have to continue speaking to and hearing from the Lord. Because of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, we still have complete access to the Father through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). Hallelujah!
But, how do we practically do that? How do we access the Father when the work meeting doesn’t go well and the toddler is throwing a tantrum because you flushed the toilet she refused to flush and you accidentally burn the dinner you had planned?
God’s Word is full of practical instruction. He:
Gave us an example of how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13)
Encouraged us to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7)
Promised He would hear us (1 John 5:14)
Told us prayer is powerful and effective (James 5:13-18)
And, so much more
Prayer isn’t about sitting still with our heads bowed and eyes closed (though it might be in the moment), or following a formula (though He may give you one to help you stay on track), it’s about meeting with a kind and merciful Father who desires a relationship with us.
Let’s seek Him today, focusing more on the process and less on checking off the “pray more” item on our to-do lists. Pray when things are good and when they aren’t, pray for others and for yourself, pray when you know what to say and when you don’t. Will you join me?
