You know, I've struggled with my prayer life, and with prayer in general. I've always wanted to be like the pastors and other men of God that I've seen in church who can pray the doors down for long minutes and hours. I've always been fascinated with the focus they have achieved that allows them to concentrate on God for extended periods like that. To me it represented a "closer" relationship with God that I have been striving to obtain.
I'm studying for my ministerial credentials and the class I'm taking right now is on the local church in evangelism. The subject of prayer came up and a Bible verse in the text struck me so I looked it up. It was Matthew 6:6 "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Well, that may not seem to relate to what I was talking about up above, but I didn't stop there, I read the next couple of verses too: Matthew 6:7-8 says, "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!"
Ok, so...I'm not saying that the pastors and other men of God I mentioned above are doing this. I'm just saying that this verse has struck me because I struggle alot with praying, and I hate repeating myself over and over. So, my prayers are usually short. In the past, I have felt that I am somehow cheating the person I am praying with/for because I'm through praying in just a couple minutes - if that. This verse cheers me up though because it's telling me that I don't have to pray and pray and pray and pray, on and on and on and on. I can tell God what I want or need and let it go at that - short and sweet - and He still hears and answers me.
