Enjoying Your Walk With GodSample

Talk with Your Father

What words come to mind when you think of prayer meetings? Boring, repetitious, I-hope-I-don’t-fall-asleep? Do you view prayer as a job for the prayer warriors, the super spiritual, or those with the gift of prayer?

You are not alone in that feeling. But, the Bible describes prayer in a different way. It calls us to “pray about everything,” (Philippians 4:6) and “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Stated in the most simple way, prayer is talking to God — a dynamic, everyday conversation with God Himself. Carla Bianco describes prayer in this way.

Listen to Carla...

Carla’s view shows prayer is not mundane, repetitious, or only for the gifted. This leads us to ask, "How can we have Carla’s kind of prayer life?"

One way is to shift your perspective on the character of God. He is a good and loving Father, and we get to talk to that kind of Dad! Can you imagine if as a child, you only talked to your parents for a few minutes on Sunday morning? Or not asking for help when you need it? That would be crazy. In contrast, children talk to their parents constantly. They ask for anything and everything. They run to them for help. The same can be true for how we approach prayer with our Heavenly Father who is good and loving.

Application questions:

• Do you view God as your Father? Why or why not?
• Do you feel the freedom to approach Him at any time about anything?