"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving make your requests known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
For many, prayer is a natural part of their relationship with God. I would argue, the most important part. Simply put, prayer is conversation with God. However, as a new Christian and even for some who have been Christians a long time, it seems foreign and uncomfortable.
For me, it was weird at first. Talking to God was not a normal part of my life before I received Christ as Savior-except for that occasional "HELP ME GOD!" when I was in immediate danger.
As I went to church and Bible study, I would listen to the way others prayed. I would try to copy their phrases. Phrases like "Father God, I come before you" or "Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus". (There is nothing wrong with these phrases if they are sincere and come from your own heart.) Then I would listen to what they said and the order in which they said it--O' my! I would panic. How do they think of so much to say--how do they know so much Scripture?
There was no way I could compete. Nevertheless, as I continued to study the Bible, I came to know God. I learned about His character, His love, His grace, and never ending patience. The knowledge that was building up in my head began to sink to my heart. My relationship became more real, more personal. I had a friendship with God and I began to notice that my conversations with Him became natural. When I saw Him as a friend and not just the Almighty God in the sky (though He is), I was relaxed. I began to talk to Him about the weather, what I should wear that day and what He wanted me to do. My beginning phrase became, "You know Lord".
Over time, I stopped worrying about how my prayers sounded to someone else. I realized that prayer is not a competition. It's not about who can say the most and who can say it best. It's about sharing your most intimate thoughts and concerns with the God who loves you.
If prayer is new to you, don't be discouraged. One of the things that helped me get over the awkwardness of prayer was to write a Him a letter. Writing a letter seemed natural to me because I did a lot of letter writing to my friends. In doing this, my truest feelings of fear, joy, and wonder came out and flowed so naturally. I still write letters to God and it has become my most effective form of prayer to this date. My relationship with God has been enriched as a result. It took me a while to consider this, but the Bible is God's love letter to humanity. When I read it, I realize that God has answered every letter I have ever written to Him. Now that's friendship!
In learning more about prayer, I came to realize that the Bible speaks of two different kinds of prayer. As we consider Phil. 4:6, we see that Paul says with all "prayer and supplication". Why the two words? Do they have different meanings? They do. "Prayer" is defined as a humble and sincere request to God, while "Supplication" is defined as kneeling down, being bent over or doubled up while making an earnest request to God.
These definitions changed my prayer life. I began to study the different prayers in the Bible and I had fun labeling them. There is so much to learn from them. If you have never done this before, I encourage you to do so.
When I think of prayer, I think about my normal conversation with God; such as: Lord, bless my family today, keep them safe, thank you for loving me and saving me." When I think of supplication, I think about the times I cry out to God because someone is hurt, or seriously ill, or the time my daughter was in a car accident and the car flipped over. It was "God, please let her be ok!"
It's easy to understand once we take a good look for ourselves. For a Biblical example of what I am talking about, read the following passages: The story of Hannah can be found in 1 Samuel 1:1-18. Here, we see a woman who desires a child so strongly, that she is on her knees in earnest petition to God. In Psalm 18, we see King David having a conversation with God that is full of praise and thanksgiving.
In addition, as we pray and lay out our requests before Him, we need to remember that God is sovereign. He is in charge and knows what is best for us. So if we ask for something that may seem good in our eyes, remember that God see's the big picture, so if the answer is not what you expect, don't feel your prayer went unanswered. He just might have something bigger and better coming for you!
When you need a little reminder because things are tough, look to Hebrews 4:14-16 and Matthew 26:39. Your heart is sure to be encouraged as you learn to trust in God. After all, if He told us to talk to Him, He will be faithful to listen.
copyright 2006 Teresa Ortiz
