How Well Do You Pray?

How well do you pray? I don’t mean how well you orate in front of others when saying grace or praying with someone. I’m talking about the attitude of your heart when you are one on one with the Lord.

Are you pious in your prayers like the Pharisee in Luke 18 who boasted about how good he was? Admit it; we’ve all thought ourselves better than someone. Or are you humble in your approach like the tax collector who in the same chapter of Luke would not even lift his eyes out of shame for his deeds?

The ideal is to be more like the tax collector who knows he does not deserve the grace and mercy he has been given. It is so easy to get caught up in living and succeeding. We then forget that the purpose of our prayers is to be intimate with God.

How is your attitude when you are asked to pray for others? Do you feel it is a chore, or a welcomed opportunity to bless someone? I try to take each prayer request very seriously because I know that it takes a lot to ask someone to pray for me. It probably is not very easy for that person asking for prayer, either.

Prayer is vital in our lives. We are talking to our Lord, our God, and our Friend. We can share our most delicate situations and our most heart-wrenching experiences with Him because He knows all, and He wants us to turn to Him for comfort and support.

Since we cannot hide anything from God, we need to stop pretending when our heart is not right for prayer. Tell Him you do not want to be disrespectful in your attitude towards Him in that most intimate time. Then ask the Lord to change you. Ask Him to allow you to admit the things you know He wants you to share. Ask Him to allow you to be more sensitive and more serious about interceding for others.

With God’s help and with an open heart and mind, we can all do well when we pray.