#HOW DO I PRAY?

Before I start just let me make it clear - I am not an expert on prayer!!  I'm just a normal person loving an extraordinary God!!  I have suffered to pray because it felt to me that no one ever taught me how to pray.   And this is only my opinion and my advice on prayer.  May God lead you on your own special road with prayer!!! 

Talking to people, I have realized that people have a lot of questions regarding prayer.  So… I’m just going to touch on a few.

I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PRAY     

For some reason people think that they don’t know the perfect words and the perfect phrases.  They think they have to use mighty and powerful words to pray.  They believe a prayer has to sound like a poem, and they just cannot do that.

This is not what prayer is all about.  Prayer is just talking to God, like He is your best Friend!   If you are going to talk to your best friend, will you say something like?

Oh dearest, most wonderful, more precious than words Paula?

No, you would not say that.  You’ll probably say something like:  Morning Paula, how are you?

But… we are now talking to God, the Creator of heaven, earth and the cosmos. So, you could most probably start with something like:

Dear Father

Or… like I do:

Dearest Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit.

There is no right or wrong way!!  But… you have to have respect for God, so the way you start your prayer is important.

EXAMPLE:

Let’s say you are praying about your finances.  If it was me, this would probably be an example of the prayer I would be praying (just in short)

Dearest Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit

Thank You for a wonderful morning and that You have protected me through the night.  I love you very much.

Lord, I want to pray for my finances today.  You know how hectic my finances are, that I do not know where my money is going to.  Please help me to sort my finances out!  Please help me to start to make a budget and to spend my money wisely. You know that we do not have a lot of groceries left.  Please Lord stretch our groceries and our money till the end of the month!  I place this money problem in Your hand my King, because only You are able to sort it out for me.  I ask everything in the Name of Jesus!  Amen

So?  Was that difficult?  No!!!  Not at all!!  You just talked to God and poured your heart out!!  Prayer is not difficult.  Prayer is just talking to your best, and only TRUE FRIEND in the universe!!!!  And, prayer is to be like a child.  If a child prays and want a bicycle they would probably say something like this:

Jesus, can I please have that red bicycle I saw in the window for my birthday?  It is the coolest bike ever! I promise I will drive very carefully with it!

So, prayer is also a little like a child praying – so honest, open and without pretention!!

If you look at Matthew 6, where Jesus taught about prayer, you would also see that the prayer was plain and simple:

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)

…”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”……

It was a plain and simple prayer.  There was no big and poetic words, just normal words that you will speak in daily life.  So… here is the good news:  if you can talk to a friend, you can pray!!!!!!  May this simple explanation help you to feel more comfortable in your prayer life and to just be childlike and honest before God!!  God is pleased with an open and honest prayer!!!

I AM SHY TO PRAY IN FRONT OF OTHERS

Well, that is one I also suffered with.  I was so scared to pray in front of people, because… what would they think about my prayer?  Would they like it or think it is no good???   It numbed me with fear and got me to a place where I did not want to pray in front of people.  But then I realized the following:

I AM NOT PRAYING FOR THE PEOPLE!!!!  I AM PRAYING TO GOD!!!!!!

So… I do not care if people like my prayer anymore.  I don’t even think about what people would think anymore.  I just talk to my BEST FRIEND and just tell Him what I think!!  If people do not like my prayer, it is their problem!  If they do not like the way I’m talking to God and my simple childlike words, it’s their problem!  I’m not praying to them!  I’m praying to God.  I only want to please God and not people.  And God does not look at fancy words, poetic words or fancy phrases your adding to make your prayer more powerful to people.  No!  God only looks at your heart, your intensions and your openness and honesty of heart!!!!  I’m not saying that poetic praying is wrong!  If this is your way of praying, great for you!!  But… prayer is only simple words spoken to you BEST FRIEND EVER!

I hope this has helped you a little bit on your road to prayer!  Now you have no excuse for not praying anywhere.  Just become quiet before your BEST FRIEND and just talk to Him about anything that is bothering you – finances, South Africa, your spouse being nasty to you, your kids and their problems.  Just tell Him how you feel in your heart!!    Just tell Him everything!!  He will always listen - especially in times that you feel He is not listening!!!

REMEMBER:  JESUS IS ONLY A WHISPER AWAY!!!

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