Faithful Fridays ~ Prayer

Hi, everyone!  :)  It's time for Faithful Fridays!  I'm a little late today....sorry about that.  We've all been a bit sick around here in the past few days, so we've been sleeping in.  :)  We'd appreciate your prayers for us all to feel better!  :)

Faithful Fridays is a weekly "meme" hosted on my blog.  I made it so that Christians could have one day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog.  If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post!  :)

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Have you ever had a hard time praying?

Or, maybe, when you prayed, did you just not feel....connected with God?

Maybe you have, maybe you haven't, but I know I have felt both.  When you think about it, it's really quite stupid.  Like, seriously, He has given us so much, taken care to be involved in the most intricate details of our lives, sent His only Son to die for us, and we...can't...seem...to talk to Him.  Say what?

But seriously, why can it be hard sometimes?  

I think part of it is the combination of A and B.

A) We think a person 

can only pray when they're 

standing still and being quiet 

and that's the only thing they're thinking about

and 

B) We get terribly distracted

when we try to do it that way

because we're so used to being 

surrounded by noise, action, and rush, rush, rush!

The answer to this is that first of all, you don't have to be on your knees, alone, quiet, only concentrating on God when you pray, although that kind of prayer is great.  

The truth is, even when we cut out some of the busyness in our lives, we're still going to be on the go at times.  It's unavoidable.  See, even when I'm at home, I have chores, school, more chores, and just day-to-day life at home that does involve stuff I have to do!  Should that keep me from praying?  Should it make me have to find a spare five minutes to fall on the ground at night and rattle off a prayer?

No.  

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.

-Brother Lawrence

God is everywhere, so pray anywhere.  Like it says above, life can be so, so sweet and much happier when we stay connected to God through short, frank, honest prayers throughout the day.  They don't have to be out loud.  They most certainly don't have to be elaborate.  Here's an example of what I mean.

Driving down the road.  Kids are screaming.  Your mind is frazzled.

God, please help me.  Keep us safe.  Give me patience 'cause you know I need it.  Love you.  Amen.

Here's one that really works for me.  Folding clothes.  Thinking hard.  Hands moving, mind running.

God, I pray about this _________ and this _________ and this ________ that I'm worrying about.  

Do you see what I mean?  We can grow in the Lord and our lives can flourish in Him when we take the time to just murmur a prayer to Him in thought, to stay connected to Him.

Now, when we pray, sometimes we need to center in on this difficulty that's driving us crazy.  Lord, please protect us right now. Lord, please give me patience right now.  Lord, please help me to stop worrying.

And sometimes, we need to pause and take a step back and remember that praying isn't about rattling off a list of "I want this, please give me that, please keep me from this," etc. etc.  Because while that is tempting, and while God does tell us to ask it and it will be given to us, that is not what prayer is about.

Prayer is about talking to God the way you would a big, protective, heavenly Father, because that's exactly what He is.  He's perfect.  He knows everything about you, every thought, every move, everything before it happens.  He knows your past and your future.  He understands you even more than you do!  He made you!  Instead of letting that intimidate you, let it comfort you, because God looks at you through eyes of grace and love.  

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘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.

And forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.’

 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

-Matthew 6:1-15 

Talk to God as you would a friend.  Be honest.  Be frank.  Talk in your own words, use your own manner of speaking.  Be respectful and reverent but be honest.  I like to imagine myself just curling up in the Lord's arms and spilling out everything to Him.  How I feel, what I'm thinking, as well as what I'm thankful for and what I need or want.  

Just take it all to Him and dump it at his feet.  

In children's church, we have this little guide to prayer in the from of an acronym.  

Praise Him 

                       Request your needs and wants

                           Admit your sins and shortcomings

                                                                    Yield your worries, thoughts, struggles, and whatever you're anxious about.

Prayer can be so much more when it's not about us and what we want and a list of stuff, but rather about coming to God, thanking Him, being in awe of his mightiness and the fact that you can come before Him anyway, and finally, giving Him all your fears and worries and just everything.  

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.

-Oswald Chambers

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So, that's what I have to say today.  I'm sorry if it was kind of all over the place....just my thoughts.  :)  

God bless you and have a great day!  :)