Thoughts on Prayer

 Thoughts on Prayer

And what about prayer?

What is prayer all about and how do you do it properly?

If you’ve ever tried to pray, perhaps you have your stories of struggle, of staying awake until the “amen” and of making a coherent string of thoughts in prayer so that God is pleased with you, and you get a gold star for the day because of your prayer.

Hmmm. Consider this:

“Just patch a few words together 

and don’t try to make them elaborate. 

This isn’t a contest but a doorway 

into thanks, and a silence in which 

another voice may speak.” 

Mary Oliver – Poet

Mary was not a theologian nor a biblical scholar. She was in touch with life in her own way as a poet and writer.

However, I think she was onto something with this quote.

Praying is not a contest to see who can pray the most eloquent thoughts, or the most beautiful phrases or string together the perfect synonyms for creative thoughts on God.

Praying is based on sincerity, humility, and intent of the heart.
I love Mary’s analogy of prayer as a “doorway into thanks”. Simple thanks.

Ann Lamont wrote once that “‘Help’ just might be one of the most profound prayers ever uttered.

When the burdens are heaviest, when the way is darkest, when the mind is cluttered with too much information or not enough of a sense of God, then perhaps “help” is the most appropriate prayer we can pray.

I’ve used that one a few times in my life.

Perhaps you have too.

I have some mulling to do on Mary’s last thought.

“And a silence in which another voice may speak.”

Silence. Isn’t that one of the eight deadly sins of the church? We can’t sit still and silent for too long for fear that half of the congregation will fall asleep.

Ah, what if we use that silence as a true tuning in time? What if God wanted to say something to us and was waiting for us to simmer down, hush up, and quite yakking long enough to whisper an important thought into our minds?

Now, wouldn’t that be something.
That’s the kind of praying to which I can relate. It goes like this.

Come in, with no agenda, no prepared speech (prayer) and no worries about what I am going to say and no fear that I’ll say the wrong thing or leave out someone or something for which I should pray. Whew.

And then, in the stillness, the quiet quieter than quiet, what if God whispered to you and me? What if He started with something simple like, “Hey you. I love you.”

That would really be something.

A real, honest-to-goodness God-moment.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

When the Heart is Heavy, Then What?

When the Heart Is Heavy, Then What? 

I’m going to talk specifically to those of us who currently have or have had what we might call “A Heavy Heart”. Heavy hearts ain’t no fun, as we used to say in the hills of Tennessee.

I’ve often not known what to do in the middle of my heavy heart moments. Have you? Perhaps you’re going through one of those times even now, in this moment of reading this.

Heavy Heart times are caused by those circumstances in life that just about crush us to death. The load is so heavy, the burden is so awesomely great, and the issue looms very large. We find ourselves scratching our head, wringing our hands, and wondering if God is anywhere nearby and does He hear and see you and me, and even care about what in the world is happening right now, this very minute.

And then some well-meaning spiritual super-power comes along and says, “well, Honey, you just need to pray more.”

Pray? I can’t even tie my shoes for the weight of this “thing” I’m carrying. “Pray” you say. 

Here’s the thing.

When the heart is so heavy, and the weight of the world seems to be resting on your shoulders in the awful times of life, maybe, perhaps, all you and I can utter is HELP! Now I used all caps and an explanation mark, but sometimes it comes out “help”. Or perhaps

H. E. L. P. !

And do you know what? God hears that kind of prayer too. Oh my. Yes indeed.

I’ve prayed that prayer before. Once someone near to me relapsed on a drug addiction that I thought was well behind her. I was so unprepared for that experience. I didn’t know what to do nor where to turn. All I could utter was “help”. (Lower case intended)

Maybe today is the day you pray the most acceptable prayer ever uttered. It’s nothing fancy. It’s not long. It’s not profound. It’s not eloquent. It’s a great cry for the God of the universe to come down and touch you in some unique way that only you need in that moment. It is a miracle prayer of one word, and this one-word-prayer gets attention.

Is your life a train wreck?
Have you made some really horrible decisions?
Is your past about to catch up with you?
Are you in a despicable and deplorably situation and you don’t know which way to turn?

This I know. A prayer like “Help” spoken in great moments of desperation and with a sincere heart gets attention from God himself.

He already knows what you did, or said, and what you are doing or have done. He wants so much for you to turn around and come to Him. He’s listening for your call.

I believe that with my whole heart.

Ann Lamott said this in here book, Help Thanks Wow:

“Prayer means that, in some unique way,

we believe we’re invited into a relationship

with someone who hears us when we speak in silence.”

So, step right up. You don’t have to get dressed up, put on your shoes, wear a necktie or a string of pearls, or even smell pretty. Just approach and say the words as you turn toward God: HELP! Help. help.

I don’t know in what form God will answer, but in time He will answer. It may be through another person, or it may be an idea that pops into your own mind, but God hears.

God hears.

P Michael Biggs

Internet Church Blogsite

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Letter Number Eight ~ Letters from God

Letter Eight

Dear Child

You have secrets; stuff you haven’t told anyone else.  I know.

I also know your fears and regrets over some of these secrets.

Did you know that everyone has secrets?  Some are so terrible they don’t ever want to talk about them or think about them.

I’ll keep your secrets for you.  We can talk in total confidence.  You can trust me.  I won’t blab.  I won’t sell your secrets to the highest bidder. 

When you want to talk, we will talk.  I’ll hold your place.

Have you ever considered writing me a letter about your secrets?  Write it, then burn it, flush it, or do whatever you desire.  No one need see it, read it, or concern themselves with your secrets until you are ready.

I have designed you so that sometimes a good unloading is good for one’s soul.  That unloading can come through human-to-human contact, and it can come through purging your soul by writing your thoughts. 

Either way, I’m listening.

I’m good at keeping secrets.

God

One-Hundred Letters from God,

Offering Hope~Encourgement~Inspiration

P Michael Biggs

From my book – The Letters

Coloring Books and Prayers

When I was three, we lived in Nashville, Tennessee.  My father was the pastor of a church in the suburb of Woodbine.  One Sunday night I was sitting near the back with my mother.  On the other side of us sat a cute and prim and proper little girl named Kay. 

Kay pulled out her neat coloring book and fresh, unused crayons and began coloring.  I asked if I could join in, and after a bit of begging she allowed me one page.

I began coloring in earnest.  After a few minutes, Kay looked over at my masterpiece and shrieked.  “You’ve ruined my coloring book.  You’ve colored outside all the lines and its ugly.”  And with that she jerked the book out of my hands, folded her arms and gave me the death glare. 

It marked me for life.  I may have to go for counseling someday. 

Maybe … Perhaps.

But alas, I found my salvation in this.

Look on any refrigerator door in any home where you have small children and you will immediately see what I mean.  There are just no bad crayon paintings to be found.

But how about bad prayers?

Here are some light-hearted prayers …

Dear God: I went to a 

wedding Saturday 

and they were kissing 

… right there in church.  

Is that OK?

Dear God:  

Thanks for my 

baby brother, 

but I was really 

hoping for a 

gold fish.

Dear God:  If you’re 

in church on Sunday 

I’ll show you my 

new socks.  They’re cool.

They are cute, they are funny, and they are real.

But what about our adult prayers?  Do the words really matter all that much?

To get back to our opening quote, I think it is the intent of the heart that rises above all else. 

I’m not eloquent in most of my prayers.  I have a southern accent, I don’t roll my “R’s” and I sometimes have trouble with some words – like ‘vulnerable’.

And sometimes, I’m not dressed up when I pray.  I sometimes pray in my ‘undies’.  What is this world coming to?

I love this:

I certainly don’t have it all together.  Sometimes, I can’t even find where I put it, so how can I get it all together? 

And another …

Man I love that idea.  We are invited into a relationship with the God who hears us, even in our silence. 

Praying is not just about words, you see.  It is a mind thing – and a heart thing too.

In my years of living, I’ve heard hundreds of prayers.  I’ve heard Billy Graham pray, and hundreds of other ‘giants’ in the religious world.  My prayers don’t come anywhere near theirs.

And my prayers are still heard too.  

And so are yours.

Ann Lamont says “Sometimes the best prayer is simply ‘Help.’”

You and I can pray that one.  HELP!

In I John 5:14 we read this:

And in Luke 18:13

And his prayer was heard.

Regardless of the words you may say, the intent of your heart is heard even more by God. 

God hears

                God cares

                          And God is with you!

Be encouraged today.

Internet Church

Offering Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time