God’s gift . . .
Do We Make Prayer Too Complicated?
Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble.
But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it,
our prayers do make a difference.
(Max Lucado)
Are we making prayer too complicated? . . . There are a lot of how-to books and a lot of opinions on prayer . . . Each one tries to have a “magic” approach to prayer that “guarantees” results . . . You have to pray standing . . . You have to state everything as if it’s already happened instead of asking for it . . . You have to pray with someone else . . . You have to follow the format of the Lord’s Prayer . . . You have to walk in circles . . . You have to have a prayer corner . . . You have to pray in Jesus’s name only . . . You have to pray kneeling . . . You have to pray at least once a day, but preferably continuously . . . You have to spend as much time giving thanks as praying for your issues . . . you have to—you have to—you have to!! . . . And one of my all-time, jaw-dropping-in-disbelief-when-I-heard-it “favorites”—God will not answer your prayers if you don’t donate enough money to _____________ (fill in the blank).
Teaching about prayer is much of the same . . . Do this . . . Don’t do that . . . We seem to be teaching rules instead of a relationship . . . But wait—don’t rules for how to pray pretty much defy the whole purpose? . . . Prayer is supposed to be a relationship between you and God.
How would you feel about a to-do list in order to keep a friend? . . . You have to call at least every day and text at least ten times
. . . You have to thank each other for the friendship every time you talk . . . You have to spend at least 15 minutes in conversation every time you talk . . . And you have to follow this format for every conversation . . . or you can’t be friends . . . We’d laugh, wouldn’t we?
Yet, for prayer this is often what’s considered normal—Believe me, it’s not . . . Of course we can give and get advice on how to pray . . . The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, it’s good to thank God, and Jesus didn’t teach us the Lord’s Prayer without a reason . . . But if all we consider is must and how to, we’re missing the point . . . Prayer shouldn’t be complicated . . . It’s a conversation with our heavenly Father . . . Don’t make prayer a set of difficult, convoluted rules . . . Stress the relationship . . . It’s simply talking to our Lord—that’s all!
At its most basic, prayer is simply a loving, respectful conversation that praises God for who He is . . . thanks Him for what He’s done . . . brings Him our concerns . . . and listens to what He tells us . . . We may hear Him from His Word, through the Spirit’s prompting of our memory or conscience, through something we’ve heard or read that’s spiritually helpful, or by God directing our mind to an appropriate course of action . . . Prayer is a personal conversation with God, not a performance . . . Speak honestly about your day, your stresses, your joys and sorrows, or your confusions about life, just like you would with a close friend . . . God isn’t looking for inspired theologians . . . He’s looking for faithful pray-ers!
For some misconceived reason, many believe there’s something in our own efforts that can earn God’s blessings . . . Maybe if we pray “just right” and say exactly the right words in the right order, God will eventually give us exactly what we want . . . Again, not what God desires from us.
It’s not the length or quality of the prayer, but the humble, repentant heart of the one praying that matters to God . . . Our word counts do not impress Him . . . God’s not swayed one way or the other by the quality of our grammar, or any of the other restrictions we come up with for “proper prayers” . . . None of that is what motivates Him to act . . . God’s love is not a reaction to some initiative on our part . . . It comes from His good, Fatherly heart toward each of us, His children . . . and this was firmly made possible, not by our efforts, but by the perfect efforts of His Son, Jesus Christ, on our behalf, whose prayer from the Cross—“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)—covers every one of us.
Because of Jesus, God always hears our prayers,
and he always responds to them in love–
regardless of the quality or quantity of the one speaking them.
(Luke Kjolhaug)
INSIGHT . . .
Hopefully, most times, prayer can be easy and comforting . . . But, other times, prayer can feel like talking to a brick wall.
Sometimes we will have seasons where we thoroughly enjoy praying . . . having a time when we can cast our cares upon God and know that He hears us . . . It’s a time that reminds us that we’re not alone . . . and can be a time when prayer brings comfort, healing, or restoration to the soul, because much of the purpose of prayer is for us to connect with God, and to have Him refill our souls with His Spirit.
Then there are times when prayer isn't that easy, and it feels more like a struggle than a blessing . . . Sometimes we even struggle because our focus is on praying itself and not on God . . . It's something that we have to get used to doing . . . It's not going to always be smooth . . . But Paul encourages the church in Philippi, and he encourages us, to not worry, just pray.
“Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray.
Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests,
so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come.”
Philippians 4:6
God didn't expect them to get everything right on the first try . . . He was saying to keep trying and keep practicing because that’s how to get better . . . Our prayer life with God is going to be similar . . . It's going to take practice . . . So, keep praying, no matter how messy or awkward those prayers feel.
We live in such a loud society . . . There is noise everywhere, and one thing that we don't often realize is that our souls desperately need moments of stillness and silence . . . Sometimes when we come to God to pray, we don't hear anything . . . Silent moments or quiet seasons don’t mean that God isn’t there . . . It doesn't mean that He doesn't hear us or our prayers aren't working . . . It's not because He's ignoring us . . . It's because God is giving our souls something that we rarely receive—the beauty of resting in silence and solitude.
“Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him.”
Psalm 37:7a
There's something about being still, and silence that fills our souls like nothing else . . . Think about Psalm 23 where the Psalmist says that the Lord leads him beside still waters to do what? . . . To restore his soul . . . Prayer is hard because sometimes it feels uncomfortable, but it's in those uncomfortable moments where we need to rest in God's presence and know that He's in the process of restoring our souls . . . Try to embrace those times.
When we pray, we are reminded of who we’re not—we’re reminded that we’re not God and that we’re not in control . . . We’re reminded that God is in control . . . And because God is omniscient (all-knowing and all-seeing) and omnipotent (all-powerful), and because He has our ultimate good and His glory in mind, we can trust Him . . . Even if sometimes God’s answer to our prayer is “no” . . . sometimes “wait” . . . sometimes “yes” . . . and sometimes “yes—beyond what we could ever imagine” . . . Easy or hard, flowing or struggling—just keep praying.
INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . .
What does prayer mean to you?
Is it a source of peace . . . guidance? . . . stress?
From the very beginning, God intended prayer to be an easy, natural way to stay connected with Him all day, every day . . . But while God wants prayer to be simple, the devil often tries to twist our thinking . . . Satan tries to distract us with “rules” about how to pray, or tell us that God doesn’t care about short, simple prayers . . . There are so many common misconceptions about prayer, but prayer is one of the best ways to find peace and fulfillment in your daily life.
Has prayer ever seemed complicated or difficult to you?
Talk to God about helping you become more comfortable in prayer.
Prayers don’t have to be long . . . Truthfully, if God wanted our prayers to be long and drawn out, He would have put only long, drawn-out prayers in the Bible . . . He always gives us examples, and so many of the prayers in Scripture are short and to the point.
Prayers don’t have to be perfect . . . remember, it is conversation . . . If you use words that are unnatural and uncomfortable, words that would be out of character for you—stop it and just be yourself . . . Prayer should be a natural extension of you and your unique communication style . . . God wants you to be comfortable and genuine with Him like you would with a friend.
Do you find yourself worried more about how you are praying,
than what you are saying? . . . Think about it and talk with God.
Remember, we can pray anywhere, anytime . . . Pray when you sense the desire or need to pray . . . that’s the way we stay connected to God in every situation throughout the day . . . We can pray out loud or pray silently . . . We can pray sitting down, standing up, or lying on the floor . . . We can pray while we are moving or while being still . . . We can pray while we’re shopping, waiting for an appointment, in a meeting, cleaning, driving, or taking a shower . . . We can pray things like, “Thank You, Lord, for everything You’re doing,” . . . or . . . “God, I need You to help me,” . . . or . . . “Jesus, help that lady over there who looks so sad.”
What have you found that works best for you when you pray?
It’s okay to be different . . . God listens to everything when you come to Him.
The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion.
He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
(Samuel Chadwick)
Are you satisfied with your prayer life?
Are you open to trying something different if the Spirit nudges you?
What do you sense God calling you to change in your prayer habits?
ILLUMINATION . . .
God is an awesome artist . . . Just look at the detail in every color, shape, aspect, and facet of creation . . . Autumn leaves are a beautiful example of His work—the display of various colors reflecting and showing off the glory of the sun, and the Son.
Pause for a moment and picture in your mind your favorite snapshot in God’s creations as we move from the heat of summer into the cooler breezes of Fall . . . Let your shoulders relax as you consider the whisperings of nature’s sounds—rustling leaves, ocean waves, insects buzzing, birds twittering, your dog snoring, a cat’s purrs, and on and on . . . Close your eyes and let the sounds you imagine sooth your chaotic day.
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:22
When you can breathe without rushing, think of a prayer request you might need a little help with today to get you through the day . . . The Holy Spirit will place something on your heart if you listen.
No prayer is too small . . . You know, God doesn’t sort through prayers like a mailman, putting some in a box marked “too small,” and others marked “urgent” . . . There is no Scripture that says, “Thou shalt not bring requests of small importance to the Lord,” or “Do not bother the Lord with mild worries, only share the big ones with Him” . . . God will take every single request, guard it, and cherish it, because it came from you, one of His children.
God already knows what’s on our hearts, but He still wants us to confide in Him . . . So, bring your worries, your heartaches, all your requests—big or small . . . Pause again and reflect on your day . . . Is something burdening you? . . . Bring it to God . . . He loves you, He cares about you . . . Just remember those favorite snapshots of God’s creations and let them feed your heart and soul.
INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . .
He who sings prays twice.
(St. Augustine)
I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.
♪♬♪ Current . . . The Prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvu_RA74S88&list=RDfvu_RA74S88&start_radio=1
♪♬♪ Praise & Worship . . . More Love More Power
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQqWUFa_128&list=RDwQqWUFa_128&start_radio=1
♪♬♪ Traditional . . . Take My Life and Let It Be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcKzckAq1tM&list=RDtcKzckAq1tM&start_radio=1
INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . .
God values a sincere and humble heart over long, repetitive, or fancy prayers, so avoid empty words . . . Look at the motivation and intention in your heart, mind, and soul as you talk with God . . . God looks straight into the inner person . . . He doesn’t judge you by your outward appearance . . . He looks deep within your heart . . . And always, honesty wins—God knows what you are already thinking anyway . . . A short, honest sentence of need means more than hours of empty speech.
Be comfortable not knowing what to pray . . . remember, just talk to God . . . it can be frustrating when we can see the problem, but truly have no idea how to fix it . . . That’s when we can depend upon Scripture for assurance about God still knowing our needs.
“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.”
Romans 8:26
God doesn’t need our words to know our hearts, and He is faithful to answer even our unspoken requests . . . And the journey is just as important as what we’re praying for, so while we wait, praise God for who He is and all the good things He has, is, and will do.
“Rejoice in the Lord, always.
I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us prayer as a way to communicate with you.
Forgive us when we forget to pray or treat it with carelessness.
Help each of us pray with faith, believing and trusting that you will reveal yourself to us.
Open our eyes to understand what’s happening in front of us
and what’s hidden behind the scenes?
Give us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can believe that our prayers matter.
Thank you for listening and hearing our prayers.—Amen!
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Prayer Paths (written by Dr. Debbie Parcel)
is a weekly email letter designed to “fuel”
your active prayer life, help you stay engaged in
focused prayer, and encourage a
growing relationship with our Triune God.
To receive Prayer Paths by email each week—send a request,
with your name and email,
to BarnabasRoad2025@gmail.com
(Prayer Paths is offered through Barnabas Road Ministries)