Connect with God Through Prayer

"Sometimes, perhaps, thou hearest another pray with much freedom and fluency, whilst thou canst hardly get out a few broken words. Hence thou art ready to accuse thyself and admire him, as if the gilding of the key made it open the door the better."   - William Gurnall

There are many questions regarding prayer, which is unquestionably the most important thing any believer in Christ can do. Straight away, prayer is our direct connection to the Lord himself. Yet, many disregard prayer until a situation arises or even drop it altogether.

This is not good, but maybe worse are those who practice prayer as a sort of self-righteous act, or "attention-grabber." The Scribes and Pharisees were such practitioners. Two of the main flaws in their prayer practice were vain-glory and vain repetitions. This only insinuated their superiority over the average praying individual, which was not true at all.

There's no scorecard kept in heaven over who prays how many times, or the length and and how much effort was put into it. Prayer is a very confidential thing, as it should be. And it varies from individual to individual. Certainly a drowning man is probably going to pray a little harder than one who is not. But, are not the prayers of both just as important?

When a person prays it should be a personal, intimate experience with God. That is, there's no need to be on street corner on Main Street, or making a scene so others may notice what you are doing. God wants only your company and full attention. Showboating and "prayer divas" are not exactly what He's looking for; Just you and He.

I will not get into a discourse about it here, but any prayer for self-gratification, self-promotion, or any other less-than-pious reasons are a no-no. Sincere prayer groups, teams and the like do not fall into this category. That is something entirely different. And believe me, God knows the difference!

Matthew, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, provides us with an excellent set of instructions pertaining to prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. To enhance the prayer experience, Matthew suggests going into a room, or closet and shutting the door. In other words, shut out any possible distractions during your prayer time (Matthew 6:6). Remember, just you and God.

When you approach the Lord in prayer, keep in mind that he already knows what you need before you even ask (Matthew 6:8). That's why I mentioned earlier about keeping your prayers sincere and to the point. Theatrics in prayer don't add anything extra to them. Concentration and focus are infinitely better than smoke and mirrors when it comes to prayer.

Prayer should be a special time between you and God. We approach him, not the other way around. Therefore, we must give Him all of our attention and respect. God listens to our petitions and takes everything into consideration. If you are expecting a genie who will grant wishes, you're missing the point entirely.

Psalm 34:15 tells us, "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry." Enter into prayer as your time to touch base with God. It's not complicated at all. We have a direct line with heaven and He's waiting to hear from you!

Scripture: John 9:31; Psalm 145:18-19; Luke 11:1; Romans 12:12; Isaiah 26:3  

Prayer:   The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

God bless you,

Kathi Ann