5 And when thou prayest,
thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are:
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and in the corners of the streets,
that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you,
They have their reward.
6 But thou,
when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to thy Father which is in secret;
and thy Father which seeth in secret
shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray,
use not vain repetitions,
as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard
for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them:
for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of,
before ye ask him.
Matthew 6:5-8
King James Version
Is there such a thing?
A right way to pray?
Oh, definitely, yes!
Jesus taught us how.
And He gave us the perfect prayer to the FATHER.
Sure, we were taught by our own religions to pray.
And, if we didn't have any religion as a child, probably, we instinctively knew how to pray, like striking a conversation with "someone" we felt was "out" there.
Often, it is at our loneliest, saddest, most disturbing and grievous moments, that we really seek God through prayer.
The simplest prayers are probably:
"Please help me, God!"
or
"Thank you, God!"
or
"Thank you, God!"
That's usually how I approach God, to ask for help, or to thank Him.
I was never keen on repetitive prayers, for I've always felt prayer must not be "robotic".
It must come from the heart.
I also felt that God already knew what I needed.
How can the CREATOR not know the needs of His creation?
Such was my simplistic, child-like way of thinking when it came to God, and prayers.
I may not be the prayer expert, but perhaps, for myself, I'm a listening expert.
Where others would bewail God not answering their prayers, I preferred to wait, watch, observe, learn, and listen.
My father taught me patience in many ways, instilling discipline in me.
He would always say there's a time, and place, for everything.
Perhaps, my father referred to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
I figured, if God was my REAL Father, and the ONE who created me, He'd know everything I'd need, or want.
He'd also give it to me in divine, perfect timing.
When I became a born-again Christian last year -- nearly 10 months ago -- I began to see God's wisdom, more and more.
He knows I've prayed constantly, for clarity, for His TRUTH, and for relief from troubles.
He answered through my dreams, visions, people, books, work, and music that came upon my path, or even through nature.
And I would listen each time.
Maybe He finally saw I was ready for the WORD of God -- Jesus -- last year, so the Holy Spirit finally inspired me to become born again, for that is the way to see the kingdom of God.
After that, my spiritual life and writing truly blossomed, and I have been under constant guidance from Jesus each day, who, after all, is the WAY.
The WORD, and the WAY.
How cool is that, right?
Now, I know better how to follow Jesus, so my soul will be saved.
Nothing has changed in my approach to life, God, or prayer.
I remain a trusting child.
Updated 18 January 2022
