Is There A "RIGHT" Way to Pray?

First things first, I am a sinner (that’s probably gonna sin again). Sometimes I sin consciously and sometimes my sinning consists of a series of actions that I am completely oblivious to until I reflect on my often life- altering decisions.

If we eliminate the concept of religions and denominations, most of us are ultimately striving for a better relationship with God, right? Contrary to popular belief, I am not a relationship expert (no one actually believes this, lol) but I would argue that none of us have ever met anyone (in human flesh, that is) who loved us despite knowing all (every. single. one) of our past, present, and future wrongdoings without even expecting equivocal reciprocity *cues Lauryn Hill*. Relationships are not easy. My mommy says ,“nothing in life that is worth having is”. Relationships take work. But most importantly, relationships require effective and consistent communication.

As I strive for a better relationship with God, I undoubtedly seek to determine what the right way to communicate with Him is.

PRAYER /”prer/ noun By definition, prayer is: “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.”

Throughout my journey with Christ, several rules about the right way to pray have been shared with me, here are some of the recurring ones:

1. Statement: No one can teach you to pray; it comes naturally

2. Statement: God will only hear your prayers if you speak in tongues

3. Statement: You can not pray to God if you have not been living righteously

4. Statement: God already knows everything, you don’t need to ask/tell him what’s going on

5. Statement: You shouldn’t pray too much; it’s selfish to bother God with your needs

What the scripture says:

1.Response: Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer Luke 11:1-4 I believe that the love of God feels like a safe haven. His love nurtures us through our Christian journey and allows our relationship with Him to continuously be strengthened. There is no perfect Christian and like many other lessons, Jesus is open to sharing with us how we should pray. Even after three years of walking with Him, His disciples asked for and received guidance about prayer. We should never feel like there is anything about our journey that we can not reach-out and ask for guidance about. Find comfort in the fact that Jesus wants to aid us as we establish a better relationship with God.

2. Response: 1 John 5:14 Some religions or denominations believe that there is only one way to pray to God and that there is only one way that God will hear our prayers. Yet, I have always found it profound that “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Although our prayer life and communication with God are points that we can continuously work on throughout our Christian journey, I have never felt that God will pick and choose when we are righteous enough for Him to hear and answer our prayers.

3. Response: 1 John: 1-9 ( No, I did not know that there was gonna be a scripture that refuted this so perfectly, but that is just how God works *He’s an on-time God, yes He is*) God is seriously invested in His relationship with you. Don’t deny Him or allow Him to feel unworthy of your openness, consistent communication and transparency. In a millennial world where social media platforms (Snapchat, Twitter, Periscope, WhatsApp, and Facebook-- for the church family) allow us to share with the world our thoughts, accomplishments, and day-to-day experiences with the click of a button; it is expected that God too wants us to spend time with Him and tell Him what is going on/ why we need Him in our lives, right?

Response: Matthew 6: 5-8 Our omniscient God knows exactly what we need and even what we want ( for me, that includes being the best at my job, having a photographic memory, cute shoes, clothes, perfect curls and fairytale endings lol). But what God needs is to hear it from us directly. Prayer is our invitation to have private time with someone who loves us unconditionally. No matter what we want or need to do with our time, we owe it to Him first.

5. Response: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 God is never tired of hearing your voice. He is pleased when we communicate with Him. Although he is our Creator, all-knowing and all-loving, He wants to hear you "tell it like it is". Of all the things we know, we certainly know our God is a jealous God. Our relationship with him, just like our relationship with others, needs communication, outward expressions of love, gratitude, and thanksgiving.

So, my beautiful brothers and sisters, this week, why don’t we challenge ourselves to work on our communication efforts for the benefit of all the important relationships in our life. Let’s start by thanking God for all that He has done and will continue to do. Feel confident that you can tell Him the desires of your heart and find comfort in the fact that He loves you; Flaws and All ( even before Beyonce’) . Don't forget, there's levels to this!

Remember, I have love for you, but God’s love is perfect love. You were created in His image!

XOXO,

ajd

#prayer #love #God #teachings