I was that person who once believed there were certain words that had to be used in prayer and they needed to be eloquent. In other words, I didn’t know that prayer was really my own private, intimate conversation with God. I grew up thinking it was something so much more.

I knew the Lord’s prayer from Sunday school:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.

Matthew 6:9-13

I thought this was the prayer everyone said; before bed, during church, etc., until there came that day when I found myself on my knees, crying out to God for help and forgiveness. I felt like a child crying out to my mom; and yet at the same time, there was a sense of relief that the heaviness was being lifted. I was having my own conversation with God, private and intimate, with no fancy words. I was talking, even yelling, from my heart. This was the beginning of my prayer walk, and I was excited! There was hope and relief on a much deeper level that I had not experienced before now. Now I find myself talking with God throughout my days and can’t imagine a day without him.

Prayer is so powerful and it’s available to us at any time, in any place, whenever we want to talk with God about anything. He waits on us to come to him.

Another one of my favorite verses that brings comfort no matter what I may be going through is Philippians 4:6:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
(emphasis added.)

As we’re being told “with thanksgiving,” it’s our gratitude that is just as important as our requests. Being grateful will always bring us comfort and centers our heart to what’s important.

God knows what we’re thinking and what our heart is saying. Not all the time are the two aligned. Often our heart feels one way and our mind is telling the opposite. So, when we pray, there shouldn’t be any wasting of time telling God something that’s not true as He knows everything before we even begin. In talking with him from our heart the words will flow perfectly.

The Bible also tells us in Mark 11:24:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you
have received it, and it will be yours.
(emphasis added.)

Here we’re being told that what we ask for we are to believe that we have received it. We are not to doubt, but to believe. When we find ourselves doubting our prayers, we then discover that we are double-minded. In other words, we believe that what we’ve prayed for we have received, and then we turn right around and doubt that very thing. James 1:6-8. I work on this all the time. The more I do, the deeper and stronger my faith becomes.

Know that God may not answer our prayers, especially in the way that we want him to. They may not be answered because what we’re praying for may not be in our best interests. There may be a lesson we need to learn, or we may need to grow in an area before we’re ready for what we’re asking for. In any case, I never want something God doesn’t want for me and I hope you’ll feel the same.

Never be afraid to talk with God. Nothing is too big for Him!