Prayer in Progress

Saint John High School. Ashtabula, Ohio. Circa 1988. This is precisely where I landed as I read the brochure detailing a chapel being built in my alma mater’s new location.

I flashed back to a momentous day in our tiny third floor chapel with my freshman class. I’m surprised we all fit in the room – especially the girls with our monstrous hair, well protected by Aqua Net and reaching up to the heavens!

It was in that sacred space that I began to appreciate prayer and the meaning of a “relationship with Jesus.” I couldn’t tell you the names of the upperclassmen who spoke to us that day, but I vividly remember their message and their passion. The friendship with Jesus that they shared left me longing to know Him, rather than just knowing about Him.

As I began to seek my own connection with God, one of the biggest changes was a growing understanding of prayer. Something I am still working on today!

With a picture being worth a thousand words, these two images have a lot to say about prayer.

Notice anything unusual about the door? Yep- no handle! This beautiful window in my husband’s childhood church reminds us that Jesus is right outside, but we have to let Him in. (Revelations 3:20)

Once we open the door, prayer is simply a comfortable conversation.

Illuminating the chapel in our church, this scene always brings me peace. The affection between Father and child draws me away from the tendency to complicate prayer, to formalize it or worry that there is a “right way” or even a “right place” to pray. Prayer is connection. Ease. Any time. Anywhere. The comfort of a trusted friend. Prayer is being with God. That’s all.

While this concept sounds straightforward and comes very naturally for some people, I seem to hit a frequent roadblock. It’s called…

Distraction!

Wow can I get myself off topic, even when talking to God. One minute I’m praying and the next thing I know I’m running through my grocery list. I of course want my prayer life to be from the heart and not just a recitation of words, but I’ve always sought some structure to help with my focus (or lack thereof, look a bunny:)

Max Lucado to the rescue. In his book Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer, Max lays out what he refers to as a “pocket-size prayer.” It is exactly what I have needed and maybe you’ve been looking for a prayer companion like this too! Here it is:

Father, you are good. I need help. Heal me and forgive me. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

These few sentences lead me down every road I tend to travel during prayer (praise, thanks, forgiveness, needs for myself, needs for my loved ones). I have tried other “methods” for structuring prayer, but this one has really made a difference. When I get off course, I can easily find my way back; and if I’m praying in a group, this prayer blueprint gives me confidence and direction.

I don’t anticipate that we will ever stop learning and growing when it comes to prayer. Just like the courageous teenagers in the chapel, I trust that God will continually put people in our paths to lead us closer and closer to Him.

XOXO

“Prayer is not a privilege for the pious, not the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child.” Max Lucado