Talking with Jesus: Prayer

By Kiana Hershey

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."—2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Do you ever feel as if your words need to be polished and perfected when it comes to prayer? Don't worry . . . you're not alone! We've all struggled with the perception that it's necessary to approach the Lord with some sort of holy, wordy, perfected language, knowing what we want to say and exactly how we desire to say it. But the truth is He doesn't desire or expect that! In fact, that way of thinking is a human constructed thought process. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 6:5–8. 

Isn't it crazy how often we take it upon ourselves to determine whether or not we are worthy of approaching Christ? By His leaving heaven and coming to earth, by His life and His sacrifice for our sins, the Lord Jesus has shown us clearly the high value and worth He has put on us. To God, your life and my life was worth the life of Jesus. And so, in spite of our past, our sins, our pains and our feelings of worthlessness, He simply invites us to draw near and in return He will draw near to us, no prerequisites. In Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV), Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He invites us to come to Him regardless of the state we're in. He simply says, “come!”

Our relationship with the Lord is unique and incomparable to any other relationship on earth.  There is absolutely no expectation of perfection. In fact, it is quite the opposite. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV), the apostle Paul recalls how the Lord told him, ”My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." And in response to this beautiful revelation, Paul declares, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” We will never be able to achieve perfection or anything even close to it because we are sinful. Romans 3:23 makes it clear that ALL have sinned, that ALL fall short of God's glory. He sees our sin, even that which we try to hide. And in our sinful state, He still says “come to Me.” We don’t have to put on our best or cover up parts of our life we aren’t satisfied with. Bring it all to Him, and let Him touch and fill those areas of your life!

One of the chief ways He fills those areas is through prayer! You see, prayer is designed to be a conversation, creating a greater relational closeness with our maker. He desires to hear our heart and to reveal Himself and His character in return. 

If it’s been a long time since you’ve spoken to Him and you're worried that He is disappointed in you, be assured that He is not angry or disappointed, know that He feels nothing but love for you and desires to speak with you, no matter how long it's been! 

Let that sink in: The God of the universe wants to be in conversation with you. He created you as a relational being—and specifically to be in relationship with Him. If you desire to grow your dependence on Him, converse with Him. He will meet you with joy and grace. He is ready and excited to hear from you and to speak to you! And here's something awesome: the more you talk to Him, the more comfortable you'll be and the more natural it will become.

Similar to the way that we share our desires, fears, regrets and dreams with our best friend, parent, or a person that we value,  we should do the same with the Lord. When we commune and communicate with Him in prayer, we change our recognition of His presence. We become more acutely aware of His presence, and we are changed and made new by His presence. 

We have the opportunity through prayer to invite Him into every moment of our day and every area of our life. Yes, He is already aware of our thoughts, emotions, and whereabouts. However, just like quality conversation will only strengthen a friendship, the same happens with your relationship with God. He desires for us to welcome Jesus into our weakness, joys, pains, and experiences. Take time to share and listen, allowing Him to speak truth over you.

Pause: Are you satisfied with your prayer life?

Ponder: Is it hard for you to share personal things with the Lord, or even others? 

Practice: What exciting updates do you have for Him? Have you ever thought of prayer journaling? Try it this week!