prayer

"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply." (Matt. 6:5-8, Message)

I don't pray that much. At least not in the way I grew up believing prayer was supposed to be. When I start to "pray" I just fall into overly-rehearsed lines, like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and for bringing me safely through it."

Or, "Thank you for this food I am about to eat. Please help it to nourish and strengthen my body."

Or, "Dear God, thank you for this day. Please bring me safely through it."

I know as well as anyone else that reciting prayers without meaningfully connecting with the words or with God is essentially pointless. So how can I find a meaningful way to pray?

I've found that the only time I really pray is when I've been challenged spiritually. When I realize my short comings and recognize I need God's power to become the person I should be. But I've heard people say that they are continually in "communion" with God, day and night. What does that mean? How do they do that? Surely they don't keep a constant script going on in their heads...

"This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need." I believe that God does know what we need better than we do. And I think it is important to recognize that in order to be content in life. And since I want to live a life out of love and not fear, I know I need to learn to trust God. Which I have only recently admitted that I don't (trust Him). Seems I have a long way to go on this journey...

"With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply." My prayer life--if you can call it that--has been pretty simplistic lately. It's been mostly, "Oh God, what a mess I am. Help me figure this out. I'm not sure what to do right now, but if I take the time to listen to you, I know you can lead me. Please help me take the time!"