Eating dinner together is a priority for our family. My husband Jeremy and I have five busy children so getting them all to sit down together can be a challenge at times. Another focus is devotions at meals. We have tried and failed, then get on a streak only to be broken by a busy schedule. We will always fight for those important moments at dinner, either formally or informally, but one thing remains consistent: prayer. We pray before every meal. We pray for our food, things we are thankful for and people we know in need. Our foster son has watched this for over two years, and despite our asking, never wanted to pray himself. We never wanted to push him or his sisters until they were ready.
Last week, he prayed. But he was scared. He thought he didn’t have the right words for God to hear him. So, I guided him through his prayer. He spoke boldly and he was so joyful. As you can imagine it was a big moment in our house!
Isn’t my son kind of like us? We sometimes are afraid to pray because we think we don’t have the right words, our prayers are too big for God to handle, or maybe it feels insignificant? Sometimes I feel like the little things are too small to bring to such an Almighty God. But He wants all of us. We need to give all of ourselves to him.
What is prayer? We as Christians are always searching for who God is, and as we seek to communicate with Him, there may be questions. Tim Keller writes in his book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, “We can define prayer as a personal, communicative response to the knowledge of God available to them. At some level, they have an indelible sense that they need something or someone who is on a higher plane and indefinitely greater than they are.” This is us. We are looking, aren’t we?
I truly love that idea. I can entrust my life to someone who is infinitely greater than me and all my problems. I can thank Him because all the good I have in my life only comes from Him. I can whisper “thank you” quickly or I can sit undisturbed and pray at great lengths, and I’m still communicating and worshipping with the Creator of the Universe.
My life for the past five years has been full of difficulties. I feel like I am finally out of a low valley. I recently told some close friends that I feared not being close to Jesus since things were going well. The focus of my prayer life is different. But I have come to realize that circumstance is not what determines our relationship with Christ. Like all relationships, we must communicate: through prayer, reading the scriptures and worship.
Sisters, I challenge you in whatever season you are in to know that Jesus desires to know your heart. Whatever is weighing you down, trust that someone infinitely greater than your circumstance is there for you at every moment. You are able to bring it to Him: a cry for help that comes out an ugly mess or a beautiful poem. Thousands of years ago, Jesus left us with a this model in Matthew 6: 9-13:
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’
One of the most powerful changes to my prayer life was learning how to pray. Below is a tool to help guide you through the various aspects of prayer. Starting with praising God for who He is, then repenting of our sins. What a great way to come before the Lord in worship! Then, we can ask God for our needs and give over our life to His will. If this is new to you, just give it time. It has totally transformed how I communicate with our Living God. Hope it helps you too!
Scripture is also a great place to start our prayers. Meditate on these words. Dive into the Psalms and pray them if you are lacking what to say. He hears us. He desires His precious daughter. You don’t have to have it all together to come before God. If you don’t have the words for your circumstance, remember this from Romans 8:26-27:
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
He loves you and can handle all you bring to Him. Trust Him with it all.
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Susan and her husband, Jeremy, love exploring Chester County with their two older biological daughters and three foster children. Susan has been in education for 20 years supporting children with disabilities and their families. She currently works at the Department of Education. One of her greatest joys is leading Thursday night women's Bible study. People are her passion. She loves to read, write and study everything from history to social sciences to the early church. You'll always find her trusty German Shorthaired Pointer by her side.
JOIN US FOR OUR FALL WOMEN’S GROUPS
Small groups are a great place to ask questions, grow in your faith, and build connections with other women no matter your age or stage of life. Our fall women’s groups (in person and online) will be starting in September, and we invite you to join us. For information on our fall studies and to register, click here.