Learning to come before God each day in prayer has certainly helped me to grow as a Christian. I say learning as it’s not something that always comes naturally or has been easy to do.
I remember saying my first heartfelt prayer with a Scripture teacher in primary school. This teacher made a life-changing impact on me for she demonstrated that God was relational—that he wanted me to know him.
When I was younger, I used to worry that I hadn’t ever really been taught how to pray. I realise now that it’s much less about what I say to God than my attitude when I do come to him. All that I need to bring to him is myself. I don’t need to worry about the right words or my own efforts, but just to come humbly as I am, acknowledging him as my Lord and Saviour.
There have been moments in my life when I’ve tried to pray and haven’t been able to find any words. I also recall a time more recently when all that I could pray for days on end was the Lord’s Prayer, over and over again. But I’m aware that he already knows all of my needs and that even when I am unable to express myself it honours God to kneel before him.
When I pray it helps to go somewhere quiet, although finding uninterrupted time can be hard. So sometimes I pray in the middle of the night, behind a closed door, in the backyard, sitting in the corner of a quiet room, or with my eyes and ears covered in a noisy one. Where and when doesn’t matter. It just matters that I do. That I learn to pour out my heart to God, and that I learn to be quiet and to listen to him.
Shift work, sickness, babies and family issues are some of the challenges over the years that have made it tough to spend time regularly with God, but through all of these things I’ve been taught the importance of prayer, and now I yearn to do so. God has shown me in so many ways just how faithful he is, and I want to grow to know him more.
I know that God desires for us to spend time with him. So, this year, I plan to continue with God’s help to set aside some time each day, just for him, and to fix my eyes on Jesus. I encourage you to do the same.