Getting Comfortable With Awkward Prayer
This month, Awana Chief Ministry Officer Ed Gossien is our guest blogger. He talks about awkward prayer and how our approach to God can help us get more comfortable with how we pray.
Getting Comfortable With Awkward Prayer
I’ve always struggled with prayer. Not with praying, but with the idea that the Creator of the Universe, perfect in every way, wants to hear from me. I speak from my heart and put a voice to my deepest concerns, but it sometimes feels awkward. Maybe prayer is supposed to be awkward or, at the least, very different from other conversations.
Normal, everyday conversation happens between two sinners. This is normal for us and feels natural. But my prayers to the perfect, sinless Creator of all things are bound to be awkward.
So, how can we pray to God in all of His perfection and glory? Maybe it is all about the approach. Thousands of airplanes make successful landings every day because their final approach was right. Approaching the runway from the wrong angle is a bad plan and will not turn out well. I think the right way to approach God is in a spirit of genuine humility.
King Jehoshaphat was a good king who followed in the ways of David. In a time of pending disaster, Jehoshaphat demonstrated humility in prayer. He admitted to his people that they were in deep trouble. He asked them to pray and fast. Then he humbled himself in front of the people he ruled and said: Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help. (2 Chronicles 20:12)
Jehoshaphat approached God humbly. Somehow when we admit our frailty and elevate God’s greatness, the awkwardness of prayer diminishes. So, for me, I am reminding myself as I pray that I am powerless against many obstacles I face. I want to pray humbly, “I do not know what I should do, but I look to you for help.”
Download the February Prayer Calendar and join us in prayer for clubs around the world. Grow in your prayer life by reading the book that inspired Ed to write this blog.
The Awana Editorial team is a group of people passionate about child discipleship and the equipping of leaders for the advancement of the kingdom. We have a breadth of experience in children’s ministry, and our heart beats with the stories of what God is doing around the world. We have an affinity for salty snacks and the occasional sweet treat, and we believe that everything is better with a good cup of coffee!
