My Struggle with Prayer. #SheReadsTruth

You guys, I’ve never been good at prayer. Huh? How can you be “good” at prayer? I mean, I’ve never been diligent with it.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized that God doesn’t care if you’re “good” at prayer – He doesn’t care if you say the “right” things, use the “right” words, or use the “right” amount of reverence – He just wants to hear from you.

I quickly realized that if I wanted to be in a relationship with Jesus, then I needed to start thinking about treating Him how I treat all the people I care about.

How do you treat the people you love? You love them, unconditionally. You challenge them. They challenge you. You’re honest with them. You do things for them. You make sacrifices for them. And you TALK to them. Often. If you go a while without talking with your friends, it gets awkward. A sense of resentment starts to build up. You start to think, “Well, why haven’t they called? I mean, I know I could call them, but why haven’t THEY called?“

I’ve tried to get better at this in my own relationships. I hate talking on the phone. Hate it. BUT, I call anyway. I want my friends and family to know I love them. So I call them. And I talk to them. And I tell them what’s going on.

You see, the thing with Jesus is He’s always the one calling us. He calls me daily. Sometimes I pick up, sometimes I don’t. But I have to get in the practice of calling Him and taking with Him and telling Him what’s going on.

That’s all prayer is.

It’s speaking with God how you would with a friend. It’s telling Him your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your goals, and asking Him for help. Like you would a friend.

And when I realized that all God wanted was for me to call and tell Him about my day and how freaking grateful I am? Prayer got a whole lot easier.

I also started ACTUALLY praying when I tell people they’re in my prayers. How often do we say to people, “I’ll be praying for you.” or “I‘ll keep you in my prayers.” And how often do we ACTUALLY stop, close our eyes, and pray for that person? I can venture to guess it’s not that often.

Well, I challenged myself… anytime I EVER tell someone I’m going to be praying for them. Or I am praying for them. Or I do pray for them. I don’t lie. I actually stop, close my eyes, and say a prayer. I tell that Jesus friend of mine what’s up and what’s going on.

And I see change happen.

I’m really excited about the next #SheReadsTruth plan because it’s ALL scripture and this month’s plan is called #Prayer. It’s getting us back to regular fellowship with Him. You know, spending time in prayer. A chat. A talk.

What do you think? Have you struggled with prayer? What are you struggling with right now?

I believe prayer brings change.

Linking up with Heather at Smart and Savvy Style for “I Believe…”