10.18.11

by Ryan Amos

Do you struggle with knowing how to pray? You know that Scripture calls us to prayer, to take our requests before God, to confess our sins, to thank God for all he’s done. You hear all your Christian friends talking about how God answered this prayer or that prayer, but so often you just feel clueless or disappointed that you can’t “figure out” this prayer thing. You fumble for the right words. Your prayers before bed don’t sound nearly as good as the one your pastor gave that morning during the service. When you’re asked to pray in front of a group, you get so nervous because you always think your prayers sound terrible. What are you supposed to say to God? How do you hold up a conversation with someone or something that you can’t look directly in the eye or hear their voice on your iPhone?

Prayer is a challenge for just about all of us. For me, it certainly hasn’t come naturally. Growing up, our family always prayed before our meals and before bed. Maybe I prayed before a big test at school to get a little extra help, but I certainly didn’t have a prayerful heart throughout the day. The idea of “random” prayers (prayers not before a meal or bed) was foreign to me.

But then as God drew me closer into a deeper relationship with him toward the end of college, God began to give me these new desires to speak with him on a regular basis. I felt that calling… but what should I say? Was I just supposed to speak what was on my mind and my heart?

Even now when I pray in front of you all at 242, there are times when I get so worried about saying a “stupid prayer” that makes no sense or drawing a blank and not being able to think of anything to say. 

It’s comforting to know that the disciples had similar struggles with how to pray. Luke 11:1 tells us that they went to Jesus after hearing him pray and asked if he would teach them how to do so. Obviously, they were feeling a little inadequate and probably worried about saying “stupid prayers” too. They heard the depth and intimacy with which Jesus spoke to his father, and they wanted to have that same connection with God.

So Jesus told them, as recorded in Luke 11:2-4,

“When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

We’ve heard the Lord’s Prayer so often on Sundays that sometimes it becomes pure rote recitation rather than a genuine appeal to God. But I love the simplicity of this prayer that Jesus gives his disciples broken down into four easy parts.

1.    Acknowledge that God is God and that he reigns – helps us humble ourselves before our Lord

2.    Ask for daily provisions – demonstrates that we know it is God who provides for our needs and that then we ask him for those things we need to live

3.    Confess our sinfulness – humbles us and reminds us of our depravity, that we’re a mess and that we need the forgiveness of our sins that only Jesus can give

4.    Pray for protection – shows God that we desire not to live sinful lives and that we trust him to help keep us from our evil ways

It’s not a magic formula, but a prayer with those elements is a prayer that glorifies God and humbly gives us a solid foundation as we converse with our creator and savior. Ultimately, God cares less about the words we say and more about the true emotions and desires of a faithful heart that believes in him. I find comfort in Romans 8:26-27 which says that “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 with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

How comforting is it to know that has God given us both a guideline of how to pray and someone who can help us pray?

So in those moments when we’re struggling with finding the right words to say, we need to look back and remember how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We’re called to go to God in prayer with a mindset of humility and petition, but also knowing full well that it is the Spirit of God within us as believers that goes before our Lord with prayers that not even our best words can communicate.

Pray confidently. God just wants to have a heartfelt conversation with you.