Prayer at Its Simplest
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, . . . who stretches out the heavens like a curtain.Isaiah 40:22
Ask almost any gathering of Christians to name one thing they wish they knew more about and prayer would be near the top of every list. I understand that. Yet perhaps in longing for those far-off secrets of spiritual success, we overlook prayer's simplicity and beauty. Perhaps in searching for answers, we forget that prayer in its simplest form is a reverent conversation with God.
One of my favorite places to go on our little piece of property in the woods is the picnic table down by our fire pit. I often find myself there, not on the bench, but sitting on the table itself--looking out at the sky, the treetops, the hills in the distance. Usually within the first minute or two of leaning back on my open palms, I find myself reflecting upon God, His greatness and the beauty of His creation. It's easy to see from my picnic table: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). We are His. We are here only because . . . He is.
It's so simple, isn't it? The perspective from my picnic table says that it is.
Perhaps it's because all we see sometimes are sidewalks and skyscrapers. Shopping centers and new construction. Office walls and commuter traffic. In the midst of a noisy, hectic life, we don't notice the pinks and purples of a morning sunrise. Our prayer life takes the staccato form of our non-stop lifestyle, with all the depth of a coffee-break conversation.
But what if you knew that all it took to kick-start your prayer experience with God was to locate one of His billowy clouds floating effortlessly across a city skyline . . . and begin to remember who made it . . . and who made you . . . and who has the affairs of your marriage and family safely in the grasp of His loving, caring arms?
DiscussDo you make prayer harder than it is? What helps remind you most often that God is there?
PrayPray simply but deeply. Yes, you can do both at the same time, you know.

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