As a small child, prayer was easy. It was a simple prayer recited at bedtime or the Lord's Prayer I had learned from my parents and Sunday School and then there were the responsive prayers at church, where the Pastor said who/what we were praying and the congregation would utter a statement in agreement...thanks be to God, O Lord hear our prayer, Amen, ...
I was always amazed to hear specific, intentional prayers led by leaders 'off the cuff'. You know, when a small group is huddled or on the Christian radio show as someone calls in with a prayer request, and the words just flow from the prayer leaders mouth. And they make sense and they hit the nail on the head. It sounds just like it was written ahead of time and words leap from my devotional book from their mouths into our hearts and God's ears. Yet it was completely unrehearsed. And I am amazed. And then I find myself saying, "Amen" because I am so moved by their ability to put the emotions and requests into words that He will hear. And afterward I think, "Wow. I will never been able to pray that well."
But you know what I have figured out?
There is no right way to pray. In fact, the only wrong way to pray is to simply not do it. And I'm pretty certain that all of us have prayed somewhere along the way, whether we realize it or not.
How do you pray when you don't want to go with something written or one of the recitation prayers we learn in church or childhood? It's simple. You talk to God. Really, prayer is just a conversation between you and Him. It can be simple or complex; short or long. Just talk. Honestly, I am not a get-down-on-the-side-of-my-bed-and-kneel-with-hands-folded Jesus girl. I am more the pray-in-the-moment-sometimes-hands-folded-sometimes-looking-up-sometimes-eyes-closed-just-doing-it-because-it-feels-right-and-i-need-it Jesus girl. And you know what? I am pretty sure He is okay with that because ... well, because I am talking to Him.
What's in a prayer? Well that just depends on what is in your heart and what's in your head at that given moment. My prayers are often short throughout the day. Some are motivated by emotional need or thought or concern for a loved one. Some are motivated by joy and gratefulness. Sometimes they are even just out of a fleeting thought. Honestly, if they are too long, I get lost and confused and particularly if they are before bed, I fall asleep long before the prayer finishes. But you know what, He knows what's in my heart even when I don't finish the words. It is okay.
THE ONLY FAST AND HARD RULE TO PRAYER IS THAT YOU DO IT. Just like the Nike logo, "JUST DO IT."
And when you don't know what to say or how to go about it, just invite Jesus in and He will guide you: "Dear Lord, you know what is in my heart and what my needs are, please guide me." Something like that. It's so easy. "Hear me, God." "Help me, God." He will know what you need. Sometimes it is hard to see His answer and He doesn't always answer our prayers the way our hearts would want, but He is always there, with us, guiding gently in the manner in which He deems appropriate. I know this to be true. Seriously, I never prayed to get sick; in fact, the prayers uttered from my mouth (sometimes silently) since the second I became a mama were always, "Dear God, please keep me and Scott safe and healthy so we can be here for our kids." Isn't that every parent's prayer and hope? So I got sick...not exactly something I prayed for. But you know what, in those dark nights when I prayed, particularly the ones after the immediate diagnosis when we didn't know what the next day would bring and we honestly had no clue if I would be around at all in the future or even make it out of the hospital, I knew God was with me. I knew He heard me and I can still see where He was with me every step of my life. Many nights I just said, "Dear God, be with me and my family and help us." There is no wrong way to pray. Just say something and reach out.
There are numerous resources available to help guide your prayers. There are specific prayers to pray for specific circumstances and prayers that people have prayed over their children or their marriage or a sick loved one. They are great and I do read them, but this is what I know that is more truer than what those wonderful people have written: it does not matter what you speak of or omit in prayer. If your heart is true and if you are faithful to the Maker, He hears the silent and voiced cries you have. Your prayer doesn't have to be in 'correct form'. You don't have to quote Bible verses or remember everything that you were ever taught about religion. We are truly saved by grace through faith alone ... it is nothing you have done or can do, as cited in the book of Ephesians.
So, pray a little today. and tonight. and tomorrow. That faith alone, that conversation alone, will give you the strength to make it through your many challenges...the big and the little...and it truly helps you focus on the big picture a little better.
If you really want specific prayers for specific circumstances, people or events, do a quick google search to find what you're looking for. Sign up for a Proverbs 31 daily devotional. I can't say enough about Lysa Terkeurst or Stormie Omartian. They are two prayerful women who put their faith into words all of us can understand and benefit from.
Another thing that is sometimes helpful is to jot down your thoughts and who/what you want to pray for. I have done this with the kids when I'm afraid we will forget something during our prayers. We have small notebooks around the house and I use one of them or a sticky note to jot down what we need to pray for from time to time. It's okay to look at a list while you pray. It's okay to pray together and just have everyone talk out something that comes to their mind as you are praying.
And don't be afraid to pray in public or with friends. Chances are someone else wants to do it or needs a prayer, yet they don't know how to go about it.
And, lastly, since I'm a visual person and definitely a music girl, here's some inspiration about prayer.