This is not a question obviously, but it is a statement that I almost always feel compelled to address when I hear it. It concerns me that people would even consider rating a prayer. I’ve had many conversations in my lifetime, but I do not remember once someone walking up to me and saying, “That was a good conversation.” In the simplest terms, prayer is a conversation with God. Therefore, there is no such thing as a bad prayer. God loves for us to spend time with Him, talking about the day or sharing our concerns. To Him, even on our worst day, it would be His joy to hear from us.
I remember working through one of Beth Moore’s study’s years ago where she described a conversation she had with God early one morning. She was in a hotel room and all the curtains were closed. Beth woke to a sliver of dim light coming through a small break in the curtains. Knowing that morning was close, she hoped to get a few more minutes of rest. But God started tugging at her to take a look outside. She politely told God she’d rather rest a bit longer, but He was persistent. So she crawled out of bed and pulled back the curtains to see the most beautiful site. There at the horizon God had painted the most beautiful sunrise. She just smiled and said, “God you really out did yourself this time! That is amazing!” I’m sure my memory of her recollection is not perfect, but she opened a whole new world in my prayer life.
I have learned that praying to God is not just about folding your hands, bowing your head, and closing your eyes. Of course there is nothing wrong with that posture. But the important part of prayer is conversation: sharing with Him your day, pointing out a beautiful sunset, thanking Him for an afternoon rain shower or asking Him for wisdom in dealing with a difficult situation. The more you spend time with God in conversation the more natural praying becomes. Just like with a friend, the more time you spend sharing, the more you get to know them and the more comfortable you feel in their presence. You can’t measure your ability to talk to God by someone else’s conversation. He talks to each of us differently and each of us personally. I can assure you that when you pray, He will not meet you with a grading pen but with a loving heart.
Pray without ceasing (2 Th. 5:17). “In other words, join Me in conversation all day and every day.”