Prayer Simplified

The other day I overheard my husband ask my 6-year-old son if he felt connected to God when he prayed. He answered, “I don’t know.” My husband started to explain that hearing the big words used by grownups in prayer could pressure him that big words were the way to talk to God. He encouraged him to pray to the Father with the words he would talk to his own daddy with – just normal 6-year-old language.

As I listened I thought how so many times we as “grownups” could answer the exact same way as my son: “I don’t really know if I feel connected to God when I pray.” We too struggle with how to best connect with the Lord in our prayer lives.

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven…” Matt 6:9

Remember you are talking to your Father.  He wants to hear you. He is waiting to know your thoughts, your needs, your struggles, and the overflow of your heart. He loves you more than you can imagine and is waiting to connect with you.

Use the normal language you talk with in your daily life to talk to God.  Fancy words don’t make Him hear us better – it just makes us feel less connected to Him because we feel like we can’t come just as we are.

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:13

There is great grace available for your life so ask for it! Don’t settle to just ask to make it through the day (or given moment if you are anything like me!). Have the larger vision in mind of where you want your life to end up. Have a vision to have a tender responsive heart to God in your last days of life. Access the grace to end well in your prayer life now. He wants to give you grace – He is just waiting for His child to come ask Him!

Prayer can be the place of the greatest heart connect with God. Let the ideals of how you want to pray go and come to Him today just as you are. He is waiting.