I am not sure how to pray

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It was the Monday morning after an Easter Sunday, where I had just poured myself out for the Lord the day before. Needless to say, I was wiped out and experiencing a typical pastors blue monday. When I checked my email that morning, I received a note from a young mom of three, who just moved into the area because of her husbands job transfer. She was writing to inform me that she went onto our website the night before and read our How to know God page, and received Jesus as her Savior.

 It's been three years now since receiving that letter, and it is a blessing to me to know that she is still walking with Jesus. 

 In the original email I received from her, one of the things that she asked me about was prayer. Now that she has given her life to Jesus, she knows she is supposed to pray, but she said, "I am not sure how I am supposed to pray"? The following is my original response to her letter on how to pray.

 The most important thing about prayer is to be real with God. Remember that He is Your Heavenly Father who loves you. In fact, it may be hard to believe at times, but He loves you more than you love your kids. And He also loves you more than your kids love you! That is a huge love!

At first it may be harder for you to talk with Him, because it's so new for you. You can look at it this way. In the same way that you and your husband had to be patient for your children to learn to say their first words, and then their first sentences, and then have conversations with you, so too does God understand that about us. And I am sure that just like with your kids now, you probably wish they would talk a lot less, and listen to you a lot more, so too will your prayer life get to that point with God one day as well. Sometimes the prayer "experts" spend more time talking to God than they do listening.

 There is no one that has mastered the art of prayer, and no one that I know who feels like they pray enough. So just do your best to spend that alone time talking and listening with God and know that God is there listening with a loving heart.

 Share your struggles and fears with Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Share your hopes and dreams because more than likely, He is the one who placed them in your heart (Psalm 37:4). And most importantly share your desire with God to know Him more and to be pleasing to Him in life (Matthew 6:33).

 Prayer is not meant to be a "lotto-ticket" of course (James 4:3), but a time where you share your heart with God (Psalm 116:1-2), and allow God to share His love with you (1 John 3:1).

 There will come a time, for some sooner than others, but the time will come when you will be able to recognize God speaking to your heart (1 Kings 19:12). Of course, if you ever hear God in this manner, you will want to make sure that it is in line with the Word of God, as He will never contradict Himself, nor will He ever lead you away from God’s Word (1 John 4:1). 

 Another thing to remember in prayer, is that when you are listening to God, He may put someone on your heart. A friend, co-worker, neighbor, family member, etc. When this happens take the time to pray for that person, because there is a good chance that it is the Holy Spirit putting that person on your heart because they need prayer.

 One last note on prayer.

 Faith is crucial to our prayer life. In order see God move in and through our prayer life we have to exercise faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). God is not concerned with how eloquent our words are in prayer, just how big our faith in Him is (Mark 11:24).
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