These past few weeks we have been doing a group study on prayer. I would be the first to admit that I am the least qualified to teach about prayer. It sounds odd that being a pastor that I find it difficult to pray. Yet here I am teaching this study. Paving some sort of way. I emphasized that praying is like a relationship. It isn't about checking the box. I was trying to lead people away from quantifying their prayer.
Then one of the men raised his hand with a question. This man was a life long Christian. Grew up in a baptist preacher's home. And was still trying to figure this whole thing out years later. He asked, "I get the relationship part... but it is kind of hard when you talk... and you don't hear anything back."
Seminary didn't prepare me for this question. He was right. He called out the real void he felt between God. And prayer just wasn't cutting it.
This question has stayed with me and will stay with me. The only thing that I could gather up is that in my own hesitancy to pray... it always has turned out good. I don't know what it is... prayer changes me. It changes my attitude. It changes my vision away from myself to God.
I am grateful for real, vulnerable questions. Because I think everyone of us left that night... with a deep appreciation for this thing called prayer.
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