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Developing Prayer Habits - Part 3

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Matthew 6:7

Certain phrases sound so pious that we string them together and call it prayer. Much of the time we do not even think about what we are saying: "Lord, be with me as I go on this trip." Jesus said, "Surely I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). We do not need to ask God to be with us if we are members of His family; we just need to become more aware of His presence. Asking God to be with us when He is already there, is a kind of 'babbling'. Another kind is heard at the dinner table. We sit down to a nutritional nightmare: the grease is bubbling, the salt is glistening, the food is piled up like a mountain, and the sugared drink stands ready to slosh it all down. "Bless this food to the strength and nourishment of our body." Are you kidding? We are to "honor God with [our] body" (see 1Corinthians 6:20). Asking God to bless junk food and give it nutritional value is like asking Him to make Bethany the capital of the U.S. God does not want you to pile up impressive phrases or use words without thinking about their meaning. He wants you to talk from your heart - as you would to a parent you love and trust. Listen: "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). God knows how you feel - and He cares. Nothing matters as much to Him as what is going on in your life right now. So talk to Him - from your heart!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me the times I simply talk at you with words I do not think about. Help me to talk from my heart – and listen with all my soul. In Jesus' Name, Amen