Pray More Like a Child
Simple Faith and Simple Prayers
Some days are harder than others
Jesus told us to become like little children. Our faith should be as simple and strong as that of children. Maybe we could even improve our prayer life by communicating more like children.
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
As children learn to speak, they may babble as the desire hits them, even at seemingly the wrong times. As children grow, they speak out as thoughts hit them. We should think of our prayers that way. When the thought hits you, pray about it. You don't need formality to speak with God. Our faith is not based on learning perfect facts or “knowing things.” Our faith is built by building a better relationship with God and BECOMING perfect through Christ. God wants us to become more like Christ more than He wants us to know things about Christ. This freedom in prayer liberates us from the constraints of formality, allowing us to speak to God as our thoughts and feelings arise.
Praying Is About Bringing Two Hearts Together
Many of us treat prayer as a broken record that we put on repeat day after day with a few changes. When we pray well, we get a little deeper into our hearts, but most of the time, it feels dry, a little empty, and like an obligation. When we see prayer as not about words, requests, or a vending machine of blessings we desire but more of a way to connect our hearts to the heart of our loving Heavenly Father, it becomes something we need daily.
It has been said that prayer is not a way to change the will of God but a way to bring our will into line with God's will. I like how I recently heard it in a video by IMBeggar that it is "the mutual emptying or pouring out of one heart into another until the two hearts become one. And oh, by the way, one of those hearts happens to God's or the King of the Universe's." Prayer is less about the words said and more about our hearts. It is more about our sincerity and desire to have a relationship with God. It is more about working to feel His love and learn of His ways. (I’ll share the link to the video twice; I highly recommend it.)
Worry Less About Having Correct Language or Techniques and More About Praying Sincerely and Often
The Lord is more focused on our efforts to commune with Him than on whether we do it perfectly, use the right words, or say the perfect things. It is about our humility, sincerity, and desire to strive, learn, and follow His will.
I have often seen people and leaders trying to teach the “correct” or perfect language to use in prayer, the "proper" stance, or the correct way to pray. They do this with the best intentions. Still, I worry that sometimes it is more challenging or discouraging for some to pray. While respecting God, showing the right reverence to Him, and learning over our lifetime to be more humble, reverent, and respectful is important, none of that should get in the way or hinder our authentic selves from sincerely communing with God. It's okay to come to Him weary (as a matter of fact, that may help). Come to Him messy. Come to Him with a wandering mind. Come to Him when you feel battered with life or even with sin.
If you don't mind, I'll add a thought about one of my personal struggles: falling asleep during nighttime prayers. Even though we should continue to improve our focus during prayers, we should probably worry less about falling asleep on some exhausting nights or having our minds wander because we are too worn out from the day to stay focused. Come to Him as you are.
The Lord understands.
Paul Miller's book A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World tells a great story. He compares his child’s learning to walk to how God treats us as we come to him in even imperfect prayer. He talks of how he and his wife reacted to their daughter Kim’s first steps.
“We were uncertain whether she would ever be able to walk, so when she took her first step at three years old, we didn’t say, “Kim, that was all very well and good, but you are two years late. You have a lot of catching up to do, including long-range walking, not to mention running, skipping, and jumping.” We didn’t critique how messy or late Kim was. What did we do? We screamed; we yelled; we jumped up and down. The family came rushing in to find out what had happened. Cameras came out, and Kim repeated her triumph. It was awesome.”
— Paul E. Miller and David Powlison, A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress Publishing Group, 2017)
Will God treat us any differently as we honestly strive to pray, even if we are not perfect, don’t use the “correct” language, or need to learn more effective techniques?
Sometimes, My Mind Wanders
Does your mind wander as quickly as mine does? When your mind starts to wander during a prayer, that is okay. Don’t beat yourself up about that. You don’t always need to worry about staying perfectly organized. If it happens, try praying for what your mind wanders to. You are having a conversation with God. You are not performing a vain repetition of requests. Don't beat yourself up, but learn to converse and even play with your thoughts as you talk to God about them. That thought your mind wandered to may even be something important the Spirit is nudging you to see or to think about.
A Few Prayer Tips (From Someone Who Is Not Very Good at Prayer)
Here are a few tips to help with consistent praying, or at least a few I’m trying in my own life:
Praying aloud can help us get out of our heads, make our thoughts concrete, and express our faith. It is not always possible to pray audibly but find times to be alone and speak out loud. As we audibly declare our prayers, we also state that we believe God is living and there to hear us.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Get out of bed in the morning to pray. Praying in bed is excellent, but the more you pray out of bed, the more you will pray in bed. Getting out of bed will help you create a morning or evening habit.
It's crucial to ensure your comfort during prayer. If something hurts or is simply uncomfortable, you will not find the focus you need. Kneeling is a beautiful display of humility, but there are times when comfort is more conducive to a meaningful conversation with God. If kneeling hurts your knees, don't kneel. If bowing your head is uncomfortable, keep it where you can think and converse properly.
Always remember that consistency is more important than the length of prayer. This is true for any habit, but maybe doubly so for prayer. As the habit builds, you will feel closer to your Heavenly Father, and your desire to pray will grow.
As children learn to speak, they may babble as the desire hits them, even at seemingly the wrong times. As children grow, they speak out as thoughts hit them. We should think of our prayers that way. When the thought hits you, pray about it. You don't need formality to speak with God.