When my children were small, I was convinced that I would be chained to the washing machine, the stove and the sink forever. But they matured and became more independent until, before I was even ready for the separation, they left home and started their own families. Many times before they left, they asked me to teach them how to do things, like the laundry or cook. I gave them the steps to take and then left them to do it. They turned out pretty well, I think since they can now do all of those things for their families.

In the school of becoming a Christian (we are ALL becoming because we haven’t arrived at our final destination yet, nor are we perfectly like Christ), we need to learn how to pray. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray using the Lord’s Prayer as our example.

I sometimes but not very often say the Lord’s Prayer, but when I do it all alone and not in a group like at church, I think about and change the words some to make them my own. I also take time to confess my sins as I pray and to intercede for others. I want my prayer time to be a time to talk to God and also to listen to Him, not a prayer that I have memorized and can quickly recite without thinking about what I am saying.

Imagine, if you will, that God has a phone line and is waiting anxiously for you to contact Him. Instead of settling in to pray (spend time with Him) to Him, you send him a text saying, “All good here. Thanks for everything.” Or you send Him a selfie of where you are and what you are enjoying at the time. I don’t think God would be offended, but He wants more. More personal communication than a quick “I’m okay” as you run to the next thing in your life.

I think that sometimes in the hustle and bustle that is part of our world, we treat God as though He is our “text buddy” and not our God. What do I mean by that? We say short thank yous, present a need or two and then feel as though we have fulfilled our “obligation” to the Holy One for the day. Now that our children are adults with their own families, I do enjoy texts from them and the photos of their current daily activities. But what I really crave is to hear their voices, so we take time to talk as often as we can. It’s an exchange that is priceless…I talk, they listen, they talk and I listen. I hope I am not overstepping my boundaries, but I think that is what God craves from us, too. It’s called building and maintaining a relationship. I think He is okay with our short text-like prayers, but He wants more and we should also want to spend more time with Him. If the only time I heard from my children were an occasional text, I would wonder what I was missing and perhaps what I could do to engage with them more. God likes the short prayers in our busy lives, the ones that are like texts. But He also wants us to take time to really settle in and talk to Him. It’s not because He needs to hear what we need. He already knows. He wants a relationship with us and we are the ones who are supposed to open that line of communication with Him.

I think we need to remember that Jesus gave us the role model as He withdrew to a place where He could be alone and prayed. He also taught us to pray, starting with praise, confessing sins and then telling God about our needs. And, just like Jesus, we should end our prayers by recognizing that God is in control of all things.

PRAY

Praise

Repent

Ask

Yield

When you yield, don’t forget to take time to listen. God might have something He wants you to hear!