“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we did, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most”.

Hebrews 4:15-16

Prayer is our most wise resource, intimate privilege, and powerful weapon that God has given us, but so many of us find it confusing and intimidating. Unfortunately, too, many of us have been conditioned to think a person must have a certain spiritual maturity or theological standard to pray.

The opposite is actually true. God wants our hearts! He wants us to come to Him like children with an eager, curious, trusting, and simple attitude. Just as a child depends on their parents, we can trust and depend on God even more.

Jesus wants us to enjoy His company. I personally used to struggle with prayer thinking that my words needed to be craftier or my faith needed to be stronger before I could pray effectively. But as I began to pray simple prayers, Jesus began to teach me that He knows my weakness. Somedays I had no words at all except “Dear God”, but He knew my needs. And He groaned for those things I didn’t even know I needed to ask for.

I soon began to trust that no matter how few or how sheepishly I delivered my words to Him…they were heard. And I began to look forward to my time with the Lord. I began to realize that it wasn’t the words that Jesus wanted, it was my time and my heart.

My prayer life has grown significantly since those first simple prayers, but had I allowed my fears and insecurities to keep me from reaching out to our mighty and powerful God, I would have missed out on so much. Mostly, I would have missed out on the grace, mercy, and compassion that helped me heal and grow and learn. But I also would have missed out on seeing prayers answered – even when they weren’t answered the way I expected – God always worked things out.

I kind of feel like God’s heart leaps just a little when we speak to Him earnestly, lovingly, willingly, and yes, even simply. Just by saying “Dear God”, you are boldly approaching His throne. And I believe that as He hears you, you will receive His mercy and grace, and your heart will begin to leap for Him too.

“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children”.

Luke 18:16

#SaturdaySoulSearch