Praying Simple Prayers

Do you wonder how to pray? Do you think to yourself, “What good is it to set aside time to pray each day if I don’t even know what I should say?”

Here is helpful advice from John Climacus, a 7th century Christian monk:

When you pray, do not try to express yourself in fancy words, for often it is the simple, repetitious phrases of a little child that our Father in heaven finds most irresistible. Do not strive for verbosity lest your mind be distracted from devotion by a search for words. One phrase on the lips of the tax collector was enough to win God’s mercy; one humble request made with faith was enough to save the good thief. Wordiness in prayer often subjects the mind to fantasy and dissipation; single words by their very nature tend to concentrate the mind.

When you stop to remember that God is our Father and specifically took time to reassure us in the Bible numerous times that we are adopted as His children and heirs, it becomes wonderfully obvious that He will appreciate even our simplest, stupidest prayers. Parents want sincerity from their children--not long, rehearsed, word perfect speeches. In fact, if my kids start speaking in a way that sounds overly rehearsed, I start wondering what they are hiding!

So if you are having difficulty articulating prayers, try the simple phrases a little child would use, "Help!" "I'm afraid." "I'm tired." "I'm worried about this meeting today." "Thanks for dinner." "Can you sit beside me for awhile?" "Can you sleep in my room tonight?"