The answer to, “How do I Pray”,

Talk AND Listen

is quite simply this: Prayer is dialog with God [whether Father Son or Holy Spirit]. By definition, dialog is two way, one party talks and the other party listens, then the roles change! It is a conversation. If only one person talks, that is a monologue. If you never stop and listen, you will surely never learn anything!

• Our Role

What is our role? It is easy to answer most questions if we use the analogies given in the Bible. In this context the Bible talks about God as our father, and we can easily relate to that image of a child talking to a loved father. We can share our joys, our worries, and our needs, just as we would with a temporal parent.

• Prayer Language

Our God designed and built us, so He understands what we say, in whatever language or idiom we may use.  Using ‘traditional’ thee, thy, and thou type language is silly – God well knows that we love, respect and revere Him – so we need only to talk naturally, using words we are comfortable with and that we understand.

• What to Ask

He also knows, to the last molecule, what we need to keep us running on all cylinders, so we don’t need to ask for things for ourselves – He is a loving father and will always  provide what is best for us.  I have found that He always supplies my needs in a better way than I would have dared to ask for! You wouldn’t ASK for breakfast at home – it is naturally provided – but you should say, “thank you”, afterward!

• Who to ask for

We can always pray for others, whether it be thanks for them or petitions for them. I try not to ‘tell God what to do’ – like I just ask for blessing for a person in need, but never specify what that blessing would be. Our perception of another persons need must always be from incomplete and partial knowledge. We seek His wisdom, just as in finding out How to Preach.

• Dialog with God

Remember that prayer is dialog with God and you will have no problem knowing how do I pray!

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