A uniquely crafted prayer life
Think about your favorite people to talk to. Most likely, you have different types of conversations with each of them.
Your more extroverted friends are different to talk to than your thoughtful, deep thinking friends. Some friends you plan for a couple hours of chatting, others you connect with over a lunch time. There are walk-and-talk friends and the ones you know will pick up the phone at 2:00 a.m. if you need them to.
All relational conversations. All important and valued.
All different because the people in them are unique.
None are better than another, just distinctive.
he essence of prayer is a relational conversation with God. Just like our conversations with friends, there’s lots of different ways those talks happen.
Somewhere along the way, many of us formed an idea of prayer that involved sitting in one place for long periods of time. Prayer was about us talking to God and hoping He heard.
There’s also a mindset about getting prayer just right for it to have impact or one kind of prayer that is better than another. That’s as silly as only having one type of conversation in the same way with every friend you have.
God created you uniquely. Yes, we all share an identity in Christ. We are all accepted in the Beloved, all children of God, etc. But we also have a Psalm 139 unique identity in Him that will express our New Creation life in many different ways. Prayer is one of those!
Some of you are created to love sitting in one place, thinking deeply with God. You love getting up before dawn and your favorite types of prayer unfold quietly over time as you listen to God and He listens to you.
Some of you are writers who process with a pen in their hand. You love listening to the heartbeat of God and crafting a prayer that you can pray again and again. It anchors you and keeps you focused.
Some of you are in the moment folks. Spontaneous prayer is wonderful when God’s true nature is our living reality. You’ve spent time renewing your mind in the Word of God, so the language that rises from your heart in the moment is more likely to be aligned with His ways. Your heart is tuned to hear His response through the static of circumstances.
Some of you are movers and shakers. You think and pray best as you are active. God is your walking friend or the One that runs with you.
The central truth is:
When you are talking with God and you allow space for Him to talk to you in return,
it’s a conversation He treasures. Why? Because He treasures you.
Every form of prayer has value and throughout our lives with God, we’ll experience most of them. We’ll talk a lot more about the diversity and joy of relational prayer and devotion in the coming weeks.
For now, embrace with joy where you’re at today. If you’ve tried on someone else’s style of prayer and it didn’t fit for you, that’s okay. If you don’t look like the “champions of prayer” you know, that’s okay too.
Focus on the sparkle in God’s eyes as you ask Him: “What kind of conversations would You like to have with me?” and “How did you create me to best respond to them?”
That answer may not come right away. It may unfold as you walk hand-in-hand with the Lord, sharing a sacred space together of relationship and friendship. That always what He treasure more than just an answer, but being with you and experiencing His thoughts and ways.
~ Allison
