Over the past several posts we’ve tackled the topic of prayer. We looked at reasons we don’t pray. Why those reasons don’t really hold water as a legitimate argument. And why prayer is so important. The point of this post will be to hopefully show how simple prayer really is when we get right down to it.
We’ve dabbled in this a little in previous topics but here the goal is to get into some practical ways that prayer can be part of the everyday life of a follower of Jesus. So let’s jump right in!
The Obvious
So the most obvious times for prayer are before meals and at bedtime. And to be totally honest most of these prayers are pretty canned. We love to use the ones that everyone says all the time. The most popular are the Come Lord Jesus prayer before meals and at night time we gravitate toward the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep prayer. These are the most widely used prayers by so many people. But are they too easy?
Some people have a problem with these simple prayers. Some say they demean the power of prayer or lessen its value. But I love the power of an oversimplified prayer! It makes prayer super accessible to children. When we gravitate toward these prayers, that I call canned prayers, we allow our minds to have something to fall back on as we age. I’ve had the honor of being near people in some of their darkest moments. I’ve sat by the bedside of faithful men and women as they’ve moved into their final moments. It’s wonderful to see how in these moments, it is the simplest of prayers that fall out of our mouths. It’s these easy phrases and commonly echoed thoughts that our minds recall in these hard times.
The Big Prayer
There’s a prayer that almost everyone knows. We might not say it daily but we pretty much all know it and could likely repeat it if needed. We call it the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. It’s the prayer in which Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. But contrary to popular belief it’s not a prayer we necessarily have to pray.
The purpose of the Lord’s Prayer is that Jesus gave his followers a simple model or formula for prayer. In this daddy of all prayers, we see some pretty simple things we can put into our prayer lives as well. From the relational starting point (Our Father) to the recognition of his power and position (who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name) this prayer stands as a wonderful example of keeping God where he deserves to be kept and being mindful of his love and care for us (give us this day our daily bread).
I strongly encourage everyone to know the Lord’s Prayer. You should even be able to recite it. But I don’t think that this should necessarily be your go to prayer. I think you should take this prayer for what it was intended: a caution for those making prayer a show and a model for the simplicity of prayer.
A Simple Approach
The memorized prayers that we’ve mentioned already are great and they each have their place, but if this is our sole focus in prayer we miss the spontaneity and conversational nature of prayer. Is prayer an event in which we participate or a lifestyle that we live? The simple answer should be yes!
Prayer needs to be more than just a set of words for special occasions. It needs to be more than an emergency response to a bad day. Prayer should be a conversation that leads us through life. Here’s the approach I recommend in prayer. Again this is not a legalistic, must do it this way kind of thing. It’s just a suggestion for how it works best for me.
Start with a simple thank you. A friend of mine starts his morning prayer with the phrase Good morning Father. How cool is that! Get things started with a simple reminder that it’s good to be alive!
What do you need today? Then at some point in your day make sure to express your concerns or needs. The Lord today I need prayer is my go to for this one. I like to start my day with this kind of prayer so I have the rest of the day to watch for the answer to show up.
Random thoughts as they come to you. This is the best part of the simple approach. And honestly this is what brings prayer to life for me. It removes the structure and fear of prayer. When we just throw random thoughts and concerns at God throughout our day, it lowers our guard to the point where we can see God as the one who’s with us all the time.
This simple approach to prayer is designed to show that anyone can pray at anytime. You can do it while you’re driving down the freeway or stopped in traffic. You can pray this way at work or at home. You can have eloquent words or just random thoughts that make no coherent sense. You can have something specific you’re asking for or you can just talk about what’s on your mind. This is the heart and soul of prayer. It’s what makes prayer such an amazing and integral part of the life of the believer. If we could pray more like this, we’d quickly realize just how accessible God is and just how easy it is to do this thing we call praying.
So whether you pray the canned prayers or use the big daddy of prayer or just throw random thoughts at God, the point is to keep the connection alive.
