I wanted to take the time this week to reiterate some points I made on Sunday.

Prayer can be difficult when we think we have to have all of the words just right. It is good to have a reverence for God when we approach Him in prayer. But formality in prayer should never take the place of relationship in prayer. We can say simple, honest prayers to God, because He knows what we need before we ask. He is our Father and he knows us.

I made the point that when we feel stuck in prayer, we can turn to scripture to help guide us. I wanted to take a moment to join these two ideas: praying from scripture and not overcomplicating our prayers. Scripture is full of simple, faith-filled prayers from the heart. I wanted to highlight some examples of this to help encourage us all that we really can be direct with God in prayer as we continue to fear Him and rely on His power to answer them.

In Matthew 15:25, as part of an ongoing request to Jesus to heal her daughter, the Canaanite woman knelt before Jesus. "Lord, help me!” she said.

In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus gives the example of a man who simply prays, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." (Luke 18:13)

Psalm 86 is made up of many simple prayers from David. For example, verse 6 says, "Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy," and verse 11a is "Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness."

God hears prayer in all forms, so don't let the mechanics of it be an obstacle. If you have a long prayer, say a long prayer. If your prayer is simply "help" or "please," pray it!

The battle for prayer is fought by starting to pray. The victory has already been won in Jesus, and we have the privilege of praying in His name!

-Nate