The Beautiful Simplicity of Prayer

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Today's Passage: Matthew 6: 5-15
Memory Verse(s): Matt. 6:6

One of the most awesome things I've learned as a believer over the past few years is never to put God in a box.  I'm discovering more and more that He really does have a special path laid out just for me that He wants me to walk.  This path is unlike anybody else's path, and will not work for anyone else if they tried it.  I say this to make the point about prayer.  For many agonizing years, I struggled with the concept of waking up at a certain time to pray, and failed miserably at it until finally I gave up altogether.

Now that I know myself -- and the Lord -- much better, I have come to understand that prayer is, as everything else, about relationship with Him.  If we confine it to rules and regulations, we will find it to be boring, tedious, and undesirable.  But if we allow God to breathe  His breath of life into it, and look forward to moments spending time in His Presence rather than fulfilling some religious quota out of guilt, it will become one of the most rewarding things we could ever do.

With that in mind, consider Jesus' words on the matter.  Today's passage reminds us never to use prayer as a means of attempting to look holier or more spiritually deep than others.  First of all, prayer is a very personal thing.  It's an intimate act between us and the Father, with the Holy Spirit translating so that we can truly understand His heart.  If we even think about doing it for attention and not for the purpose of hearing from Him, we can forget about ever getting anywhere in our relationship with Him.

The next aspect of prayer that really amazes me is that our "prayer closet" can literally be anywhere.  I'm beginning to look for those moments when I may be doing something completely ordinary, and He interrupts me with something that lets me know He wants my attention.  Now, I could be about to doze off, or doing housework (I think He knows He can ALWAYS interrupt me then), and even in the shower.  But one thing I know is this: if I yield to time with Him, I never lose a thing.  I always come away refreshed, more whole than I was before, and always closer to Him than I was before.  And that is the most important indicator that I am successful at prayer.

Prayer:  Father, my ultimate goal is to know You.  I want Your thoughts to be my thoughts, and Your ways my ways.  I'm asking You today to draw me ever closer to You.  Strip away every need to please others more than You.  Show me Your truths on an even greater level, as I learn to obey when You call.  I love You more today than I ever did before.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.