Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit; Oh, what needless pain we bear.  All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.”  

Another day, another hymn. Honestly, I could have stopped writing after those lyrics, but let’s look closer at Matthew 6:5-8 and see how it relates to this song. 
There are several points in this passage about prayer, but I want to focus on verses 7-8.  I used to think prayer had to be a very solemn time, with certain words and a serious tone.  That I was supposed to follow some lengthy, prescribed formula to the point that my prayers were almost always identical when I was younger. It felt almost like a ritual.  This made prayer really hard for me, especially in trying to make it the “right” length, because my brain is physically incapable of focusing for long periods of time.  The self-imposed mental effort and required focus were often too overwhelming for me. 

One day I came across a reading that talked about Jesus as our friend and approaching Him as such.  For some reason, that day, the idea of Jesus as my friend took root in my heart and mind and it began to change the way I saw God - not as just some distant being, but someone who I could share life with just like I did with my other friends.  I knew this in my head, but it had not clicked like it did that day.  As I wrapped my mind around Jesus as my friend, it brought me so much relief regarding prayer.  I didn’t have to prepare a scripted speech or “keep on babbling like pagans” to be “heard for their many words.” I just needed to talk to Him.  And more importantly, to LISTEN to Him.  I learned that even when I didn’t have words, I could still go to Him and He already knew what I needed.  I learned that my prayers didn’t have to be pretty or sound intelligent.  One of my favorite kinds of prayers are “one-liners”- quick, one-line prayers throughout my day.  Just as I would send a text to a friend, I can shoot a quick prayer to God as prayer needs or praises arise.  These prayers help me to stay connected to God all day and also relieve the stress of trying to remember everything from the day in my prayer time at night (because I don’t have to just pray one single long prayer for God to hear it).  Are they eloquent?  Absolutely not!  But God doesn’t need our pretty words.  He wants our heart.   

Prayer isn’t meant to be a chore.  It is our communication with our Heavenly Father.  Prayer should bring peace as we enter His presence, even if it is just for a few minutes at a time. Remember, we don’t even have to have anything prepared when we pray.  He already knows our needs. 

Resolve this year to pray more.  We can take everything to God in prayer.  Personally, I want that to look like reaching for God rather than my phone throughout the day.  What does it look like for you?  

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence. 

Reflections:  

• What does your prayer life look like?  How can it be improved? 
  
• Spend some time with the words to “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” above.  What do they tell you about prayer? About Jesus as our friend? 
  
• Spend some time in prayer just sitting in God’s presence.  Ask Him to show Himself to you. 
• Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being a relation God who wants to hear from Your children.  Give me the eyes and heart to view prayer through the correct lens.  Help me to remember that You hear every word and know every need!  I know that I can trust You! In Jesus name, amen.

Family Devo: Matthew 6:5-8  

By: Cynthia Ogilvie  

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.    

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset    

Key Verse: “But when you pray, go to your room, Close the door, and pray to your father, who is unseen. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6  

Head

What does this scripture tell you about prayer? 

Heart

Verse 6 says, “But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” How does this verse make you feel about praying in silence where no one can see you?  

Hands

With the questions above, I challenge you to use the PRAY acronym to pray throughout this week. P-Praise, R-Repent, A-Ask, Y-Yield.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so very thankful for You and everything You do for me. Lord, I know I am not perfect, and I ask that You allow me to have a heart like You this week. Lord, I give it all to You because I know I can’t do it without You. Amen.