Pray, Tell

"Your Father knows"

Matthew 6:8

Do you remember those old commercials for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, where someone wandering around with a chocolate bar bumped into someone wandering around with an open jar of peanut butter?  "You got peanut butter on my chocolate!"  "Well, you got chocolate in my peanut butter!"  And then, hey look how great these things go together!

Well that happened to me the other day.  I was reading something about how sometimes our words sound feeble to us when we are praying, and it rang so true to me.  I often find that my words sound so trite in my head when I'm talking to Him.  At those times I'm grateful for the knowledge of Romans 8:26 ~ "We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

It reassures me to know that when my words are inadequate, He understands the feeling behind my words.  And so I pray my lame, sad prayers, stumbling over my words like my own language is new to me...

And then today I happened to come across Matthew 6:7 ~ "when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

That term "vain repetitions" leaped out at me because sometimes I do think my prayers are repetitious.  But then I realized that it's not because I'm just trying to say a lot of words.  It's about feeling that words are not enough.  It's about knowing that it's more important that my heart is reaching out for him, than my brain.  Sometimes my poor, weak words are all I have.  But it's enough. 

So, how is your prayer life?  What is your prayer life?  Frequent or occasional?  Long-winded and wordy, or sincere and simple?  What are you thinking about when you pray?  Do you remember that you are communicating with the Creator of the universe?  Are you praying for others who might share that prayer you are praying for yourself? 

Prayer is a privilege, and not to be taken lightly.  That means not ignoring that freedom we have, and not abusing it by praying as if it's a duty we're checking off our to-do list.

~ "For Yours is the kingdom

and the power and the glory forever.

Amen." ~

Matthew 6:13

~