todd nelson

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray In the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ^[1]

Matthew 7:5-7 (Emphasis added)

Not if but when. Three times in Matthew 7:5-7 Jesus gives not an invitation but a mandate that prayer be part of his followers lifestyle. Let me share a secret with you. I have met so very few people who were satisfied with their prayer life. It reminds me of a current golf commercial that says, “Inside every golfer is a better one.” I love the hope of that expression. Inside every prayer is a better one.

Do not despair that we have miles to go in our prayer life. In fact, as Thomas Merton says, “We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all our life.”

This is the key to deepening our prayer life. Don’t overthink it. Don’t overplan it. Approach your prayer time with the humility of a beginner and be reminded that, “Our prayer life doesn’t depend on any feelings, but upon God’s presence.” [The Sense of the Call by Marva J. Dawn]

The most important part to prayer is not what we do but what God does. And God can be trusted to do it every single time. What is the most important thing that God does? Show up. And in so doing God shows us how to prayer. Show up. Just do it.

Tom Brokaw interviewed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and asked about how she prayed. Mother Teresa replied, “I listen.” Brokaw then asked what Jesus said to her. “He listens”, she said. Simple. Powerful. True. Like any good friend, the great gift we give is our presence and willingness to listen. So it is with prayer.

So as you begin this day, begin as a beginner regardless of how long you have been a praying person. Show up and be confident that God will show up too. And in the listening space between your heart and God’s heart, your prayer will flow freely and the course of life will be changed.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print.