Unshackled Moments ~ November 2, 2018 ~ Learning To Pray

Many people struggle with the idea of prayer because they feel they don't know how to pray. We have a tendency to put off doing things that we don't feel confident about. I will read something and learn how to pray, and then I will build a prayer life. A quick search for books on prayer will give insight to just how common it is not to feel comfortable in prayer. There wouldn't be so many books on the subject if there weren't so many people asking how to pray and how to make their prayer life better. Even the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, so this need is nothing new.

But here's the thing, you can learn ways to strengthen your prayer life, but learning to pray is a lot like learning to talk. A baby doesn't wait until he or she understands fully the complexity of language to speak. No one teaches a baby to talk by introducing the rules of grammar. There are two main things that go into a child learning to talk. First, they hear others talking. They learn from the example of those around them. Parents talk to their children and talk around their children. And secondly, they talk. They learn to talk by doing it. Sure, at first it's gibberish. They are only making sounds that aren't words, but they are moving in the direction of speech. No parent get's  upset at a baby for doing this. They may get onto a 10-year-old for not using words and just making sounds when trying to communicate , but not a baby.

When we hear a baby say "bottle" while reaching, we understand what the child is communicating and respond. No one tells a one-year-old not to speak until they understand that they should be saying, "Mother, will you pass me my bottle please?" Sometimes we seem to think that God is a worse and less compassionate parent than we are. We fear that if we don't say it right that God won't hear our prayers. But He does. We are His children, and He loves us. Prayer is not a formal language. It is communication with our Daddy. That's what He wants, just like an earthly parent desires to have their child understand what they are saying and be able to speak back.

Don't fret about form. Don't worry about formulas. Start where you can. It may be nothing more than "Abba" at first, followed by silence. It's not about impressing God or being a wordsmith. Daddy I want to talk to you about what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to verbalize it. I assure you, Daddy is much better at filling in the gaps with His understanding than we are. A parent can often get an idea of what is going on from the way a baby cries, even though there's no words. God can do that with us. We may say one thing, while our heart needs something else, and He  is aware of that.

We don't have to figure out the right way to talk to Daddy to make Him listen. He's not waiting for us to speak to Him on His level or according to some spiritual grammar rules before He hears us and responds. Just talk to Him. Just do it. As we simply reach out to Him, He reaches out to us, and what may be a very stilted, hesitant communication can grow into intimate talks with our Daddy. Don't despair not understanding. Don't wait until  you do. Start with Daddy and cry if you need to.

And if you can, spend some time with others who pray. Don't  ask them how to pray. Ask them to pray with you, to pray in front of you. Expose yourself to people praying. Some will pray well. Others may not. Not everyone who speaks in front of a baby does so correctly. But still the child learns. There is time to outgrow the mistakes of others later. If you don't have someone in your life who can pray with you, I recommend seeking out someone. But there are prayer books with prayers for many situations and topics. Praying these prayers can be a way to learn until it becomes more natural to use the words of our own hearts. Our freedom and ability to walk with God is contingent upon the maintenance of our spiritual condition, which in turn is contingent upon our relationship with Daddy. There is no relationship where there is no communication. So the best thing to do is simply to do. He is as patient with us and as excited over our "Daddy" in the midst of gibberish as a parent rejoices over "Goo goo pbbb drak Mommy bottle goo." And He is more able to understand what we need, even if we don't know how to express it, than any of us with a child. And He loves better than we do, so He will respond to us when we turn to Him.


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