Why do we complicate what God meant to

be simple conversation?

What’s in the bag we carry into our prayer time? Here are some things found in most of our ‘bags:’

• a bit of apprehension
• any bits of theology we have heard on the subject
• almost always a request or need
• hopefully some praise and thankfulness over past answers we received
• our current concept of God
• at times some desperation
• all the faith we can muster
• a concern over what God may think of us at the moment
• fear that our ceiling is made of lead and nothing will get through it!

Obviously, prayer is a very complicated thing (we’ve been told) and it must be done in the right language, correct tone and with great conviction (as it’s been modeled for us by all the ‘professional pray-ers’ we hear in church or on television.)

But without question, the most important thing we take into our prayer time is the one listed right in the middle of the items listed above – our concept of God. Like:

1. Can God do anything? “Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams] …” Ephesians 3:20 Amplified Bible

2. Does He really care about me? “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I Peter 5:7 New Living Translation

3. Can I trust Him even if my prayer isn’t answered? “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 New Living Translation

4. Is He able to understand even when I can’t sort out the words? “But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” Romans 8:26 New Living Translation

What it comes down to is this … we must possess more faith and confidence in God than in prayer. Sound strange? To feel confident in prayer, we assumer we must structure it right, say it right and understand fully everything that happens when we pray. But when our confidence is in God, we just need to know that He knows, that He loves us completely, He feels what we are feeling and has an eternal plan even though often unseen by us.

Great faith believes, but doesn’t base that faith on getting what it wants or knowing what is going on behind the scenes, but on its confidence that God is God, regardless.