Teach Us to Pray

I remember my bedtime prayers as a child.  We always prayed the same thing: "Now I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.  Lord bless Mama, Daddy, etc..."   As an adult, I look back on that prayer and think it pretty morbid!

I remember the story of the Titanic; with those who were about to perish reciting the Lord's Prayer.  It is good to call upon God in the midst of disaster.  Then there are certain religions that teach prayer/chants as a way to access God.

Prayer is not magic.  It's not mysterious.  It's not dependent upon certain postures, form, position, time or location.  It is relational, conversational, and intended to be an intimate exchange between the Creator and the created.

Prayer is the vehicle for faith to access the belief that there are things out there that we cannot see.  Things that are more important than those that we can see.  It is through prayer that we are able to become aware of the unseen and believe.  It is through prayer that we become aware that God's presence is within us.  It is through faith, powered by prayer that creates an awareness of another supernatural phenomena: that not only is God within each of us, but we, as Christ-followers are in Christ, in Heaven - today, right this very moment, at the right hand of God the Father!  Ephesians 2:6 states the Christ raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." 

This is why scripture quotes Jesus as saying that the kingdom if God is within you.  The mystery is this: God is in us and we are in Christ - right now.  Ephesians is stating our presence in Christ as present tense, not future tense.  So, prayer is our opportunity to connect with the Father and Son in an intimate, conversational style of communication.  Prayer can, and should happen anywhere and anytime.