Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. –Romans 12:11-12
Many people I know are intimidated by prayer. They have the misconception that they must have the right words to pray or that they must somehow clean themselves up in order to enter into prayer. I’m glad this is not the case. I think God is more concerned that we come to Him. Still, how do you respond to someone that says they don’t know where to begin? It occurred to me a couple of Sundays ago as I worshiped that so many of our songs are prayers. This is a great place to begin. Even if you can’t or don’t want to sing, you can recite the songs themselves as prayers. Another place to start is reading the Psalms. There are prayers of all types in the Psalms. Sometimes, words are too difficult. The good news is that God hears our cries even when the words won’t come.
Wherever you may be in your prayer life, I encourage you this week to set aside time for prayer. If you still don’t know what to pray, ask God to show you. As you pray, remember that part of praying is listening to God as well.
