Hey Gang! LOL!
How are you doing and how was your week? Whoosh! The past week was packed and chilled at the same time but as always, I’m thankful to Jesus for His grace. As we edge towards the end of the month, remember to look at your goals and plans from the beginning of the year and check that you’re still on track. Don’t wait till midyear to start fussing over them please. If God overhauled your neatly curated goals and plans like He did mine, remember to go back to your journal and check that you’re following through with the instructions He gave you. Friends, there’s no better way to fly than on the wings of instruction.
Now, let’s get talking! The term, ‘prayer’ needs no definition for many of us, as we are familiar with the term and perhaps pray frequently in line with the tenets of our faith and principles we’ve been taught. Let me mention that this post is dedicated to the amazing ladies at Abby’s Place – a community of Christian ladies who I am privileged and blessed to pray, fellowship, study the Bible, and do life with. Over the last three weeks, we’ve been studying about prayer and devouring a few Bible plans to truly discover God’s original intention about prayer. So, this post is me just sharing from the amazing insights I’ve come into in the last three weeks.
What is prayer?
Is it simply talking to God – narrating to Him all the many shenanigans you’ve been up to, reeling out your wish list, and reminding Him of His word to make sure He’s not going to change His mind? Do you toss in an extra three minutes for His quick feedback so you can get moving? Or is it a boring religious practice that you must labour arduously to complete to please this God somewhere up there? Or do you just mumble a few words at the foot of your bed each morning so you can tick the box and easily answer ‘yes’, when asked? What is prayer to you?
If any of these sounds familiar, relax, you’re in good company. This also used to be what prayer meant to me but I’m learning that there’s so much more to prayer. Now, if these don’t address your own issues with prayer, just start out here with us for now, and be rest assured that we’ll be examining others as we go along. I’m inviting you to forget all you’ve been taught for a few minutes and let’s rethink prayer together.
So, what really is prayer?
“Prayer is an intimate conversation with the One who passionately loves you and lives in you”. (as seen in Rethink Prayer Devotional by Pete Briscoe). Now let’s unpack this:
- ‘intimate’ means closely acquainted and familiar, warm, loving, confidential, affectionate, etc.
- ‘conversation’ refers a talk between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged.
- Then, the main gist in the last phrase: ‘with the One who passionately loves you and lives in you’.
Now, let’s pull all that together. It means that; prayer is a loving and affectionate conversation with God who loves you and lives in you. It means in prayer, you can truly express yourself, be vulnerable, authentic, raw, and unscripted with Him. You can tell Him how you feel, and He would tell you the same. Yeah, He has feelings and thoughts too.
It means that prayer doesn’t have to be done in any regimented manner using well-rehearsed and boring words like you’ve been taught. No, it’s fine to pray using your own words, and in your way. It’s okay to pray it, as you feel it; God doesn’t mind. He is eager to have unscripted conversations with you. If you need a second opinion on my viewpoint, then should listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXsxw1fRHMA
Now, as for those feelings of guilt, shame, uncertainty, fear, etc.; that stopped you from praying; guess what, they don’t count. Yes, you heard me right. I’m not saying they aren’t valid, rather I’m saying they shouldn’t stop you. Take them along to Him in prayer. Don’t let them stop you from speaking with your Father who loves you recklessly. Friend, you don’t need to change before you pray; just talk to Him. You don’t need to break that habit before you pray, just go ahead and talk to Him about it. Did something you’re not proud of recently? That’s okay, talk to Him. You’ve ignored Him for a while? That’s okay too. Talk to Him; He loves you passionately; and that will never change.
Now, let’s address that last element about the place/venue for prayer. You know that belief that you have to either be kneeling by your bed, in a quiet place or in a church to pray. Breaking news! That doesn’t count, friend! Why? Because He’s right there in you! Not beside or behind, but inside! You can talk to Him right there where you are – in your toilet, in the shower, your car, on the way to work, as you push the cart down the grocery aisle, navigate through traffic, He’s right there. Just talk to Him.
Let me wrap this up by saying this: you don’t need to approach God in prayer begging Him to accept you. You were accepted millions of years ago, and that’s why He died for you! You are not an orphan begging for access or pleading to be accepted, nope! You are a son, an heir recklessly loved; so, come to your loving Father, and just talk to Him.
Friend, it is possible to pray continually like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 because prayer is just an intimate conversation with your Dad who loves you and lives in you; so, get on talking to Jesus. Don’t let anything stop you.
As always,
