Back to the Basics: Prayer Basics
I'm a parent of four and a grandparent of four. If my children or grandchildren only spoke to me when they wanted something, I would feel some kind of way. So, how do you think God feels if we only talk to Him when we want stuff?
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus talks about prayer and instructs us to pray in this manner, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed (holy) be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."
Simply put, prayer is talking to God. This model prayer is a template we can use to initiate and sustain a relationship with God. This scripture starts by giving reverence to God and acknowledging His perfected will on earth.
Believe it or not, it is possible to talk to God without asking Him for stuff—that's probably the discussion He perfers most. We should take time just to tell God "thank you", to express appreciation, render praise, or magnify His Name.
Our prayer life is the vehicle that develops our relationship with God.
When we petition God, our prayers should be in search of God's plan and our purpose. We should pray for strength, wisdom, and guidance to walk through situations as well as the peace to deal with difficult circumstances. Our prayer should ask God to forgive us and restore harmonious relations.
God already knows what we stand in need of. We must remember that every one of our requests will be filtered through the lens of God's perfected will (remember the model prayer—Your will be done on earth).
It's time to focus more on nurturing our relationship with God and less on the stuff.
Let's Get Back to the Basics by strengthening our relationship with God through prayer. Take time to pray!