June 18, 2013
Mathew 6:9 — After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Our Sunday School class (we call them Bible and Life Groups) has been asked to pray today for a young lady who is having both knees replaced. I’m sorry to confess that one of my first reactions was maybe a little irreverent: “Worn out knees eh? Shouldn’t every Christian have worn out knees? Isn’t that how we should be spending a good amount of time — praying — on our knees?”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to pray for the lady in question, but somehow it seems like the Holy Spirit might have put that thought in my head, to have me think (once again) about how I pray.
Do you know how much has been written about how to pray? It might be one of the most written about the Christian life. I’ve read some great things by men like Elmer Towns, E.M. Bounds and the great Charles Spurgeon. But it’s not just a recent thing. Church fathers like Athanasius and Origen wrote about how to pray. And sooner or later every Christian takes Jesus’s masterclass from the Book of Matthew.
So what is the right way to pray. Trick question, of course. There isn’t really a right way — there isn’t the ONE right way — not in terms of technique. In fact, I’ve come to realize that as soon as I start thinking that way, I’ve missed the point. I’ve come to believe that prayer is a conversation where I share my heart with the Father, and trust Him to turn me round and point me in the right direction. If you have read the first few days of this devotional (and thank you if you have 🙂 ) you will know that I beleieve that the whole point about being a Christian is to ahve a closer realtionship with God and to help others do the same thing. Prayer is part of the process.
What’s the right process for any important conversation with anyone who is really important in your life? (I’m a man — I’m really not good at this stuff!) How do you talk with anyone you want to build a closer relationship with?
- Prepare your thoughts
- Find a quiet place
- Allow plenty of time
- Listen more than talk
- Be prepared for the conversation to go in unexpected directions
- Take note of what you hear
- Act on what you hear
And one last thing … practice! Prayer is like a lot of things. The more you do it, the better you get at it!