Natural Day of Prayer
Written by Gary Taylor
May 3rd is the National Day of Prayer.
What would it be like to have a NATURAL Day of Prayer?
To be honest, prayer does not come natural to most of us. For a variety of reasons, it can feel awkward or daunting. What feels unnatural really should feel natural because of our relationship with God. In the Lord's Prayer, it begins by describing this close and trustworthy relationship: It is a Father-child relationship. To be more specific, it is the Perfect Father-stumbling child relationship.
And yet God the Father delights in His children. Always.
Imagine one whole day where the most natural thing for you to do is to engage in an ongoing dialogue with God the Father. All the pressure to "pray right" or "get His attention" fades. All the shame of what you thought was irredeemable melts away. All the false perspectives of a grumpy, distant God are washed clean, leaving you in the presence of a Father who delights in you as His child.
For prayer to become more natural, do these 4 things:
- Confess to how unnatural prayer has been for you. Let God the Father love you in the truth of your confession.
- Pray the Lord's Prayer. It can be found in Matthew 6:9-13. Trust that what Jesus modeled is always a good prayer for you to pray.
- Read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). The best way to correct your perception of God the Father is to get to know His Son. Note how natural it was for even the most sinful and irreligious people to talk to Jesus.
- Persist. Prayer is a relationship between yourself and God. Like any healthy relationship, it develops and deepens over time as two people consistently show up and are present to one another. Set aside a specific place and time to pray every day for the month of May.