How shall we pray?

People will often ask how to begin a time of prayer. This is an interesting question with a seemingly easy answer.

Prayer is merely conversation. All the same things that apply to any conversation apply to prayer. The difference is that this conversation takes place between a human and God. But this is really the only difference.

Think of children waiting for Daddy to come home. The car enters the garage, the kitchen door opens, and the children run to greet the father who has just returned from a busy day at work.

"Daddy, Daddy! Guess what I found on the playground?!" "Daddy, look what I drew in school!" "Daddy, see this trick?" "Daddy, Joey got a new puppy - wanna go see it?"

Children don't stop to consider the importance of their news compared to the concerns of the father's career. They simply want to share everything with him. And that Daddy delights in every word. He wants to hear about their day.

Sometimes the child approaches the father a little differently... perhaps with "um, Dad, can I talk to you?" or "can I ask you something?" which precipitates a serious discussion. That father wants to hear these things too – to be approachable.

So it is with our Heavenly Father - He wants to hear all about our day and our concerns, whether it is something that excites and pleases us or something that hurts or burdens us.

Thus, we simply start by talking, just as we do with others with whom we have conversation every day.