So one of the coolest and most interesting things that I have encountered while on the race so far is just the wide range of ways that people pray. This is in no way a condemnation of people that do it differently than me, because that’s their relationship with God. However this is what I have learned and grown in over the past couple months.
First off… What am I actually doing when praying? I am talking with my creator; I am talking to the creator of the universe. The one who controls all and is bound by no laws or thoughts of man. "Real cool Brandon shouldn't you have always known that?" well yeah I did know that, I knew the idea of it and what it meant, but what I didn't know, well not even that I didn't know it just that I never really stopped to figure out what that meant. Just like any relationship that you have you need to have communication if you're going to grow that relationship. Yeah best friends can pick up right where they left off but if they never stopped talking they never would have stopped growing. What does that mean? As the answer is quite clear it means more prayer. Which begs the question "How should I pray" now as I said, being on the race has exposed me to many different kinds of prayer anything from a quiet time just sitting and praying to alone to screaming out at the top of your lungs calling and crying out to God. What does the bible say about prayer and what it should look like? I'll do you one better in Matthew 6 Jesus is talking about what prayer should be and what it should look like. Matthew 6 is where you'll find what is known as "The Lord’s Prayer" or as many people know it The Our Father. Now I don't line up with Catholicism when they believe that those are the exact words you must pray. However I do believe that is a very good guideline on what a prayer should look like. A little bit of praise, then acknowledging that Gods will is better than what I want, even so these are the things I'm asking for, a little bit of repentance. That’s funny the way the bible says it there isn't even an Amen at the end of it… SIDE NOTE: Amen merely means let it be, is it necessary that we say it at the end of our prayers? No. Back on track now. Matthew 6:5-7 are the verses that have shaped the way I pray the most. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who us in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they thing that they will be heard for their many words."
So what does that mean for me, and what does that effect/look like? Do I always need to verbalize my prayers? No, if God knows what is in secret then he knows the prayers that I do not say out loud.
Do I need to pray out loud in a group setting? No I do not, BUT when I feel lead to pray out loud I do it because as Matthew 6:8 says, God knows what I need before I ask for it. So when I feel lead to verbalize it, I can only assume that it's because it is something the someone needed to hear. Why don't I pray out loud then more people might get something out of my prayers then? Because I am not pray to other people, I am not praying so that others might hear me. It is a conversation between me and my father, me and my creator, me and the one who can give me everything and take everything. Should I scream out my prayers? What you desperately need/want something you ask differently than if you only kind of want it, don't you? While yes when I ask a person for something the way I ask will change based on how bad I need/want what I am asking for. God knows what I NEED and what I DON'T NEED he will give me what I need when I need it, he will "withhold" things from me when I don't need them. It doesn’t matter the way that I ask him. Now I will admit that this is a conversation with God and emotion will come in because if you never have emotion in a relationship then you aren't ever going any deeper then skin deep.
That is my relationship with God and the ways that I have personally grown in my prayer life, I would love to get feedback and hear what you all think about it and your views so feel free to leave a comment!
