Praying

I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer lately. A lot of things are happening in my life that need to be covered in prayer.
I’m also thinking more about it because we’re encouraged to pray atwork (such a blessing!). I’m re-reading a book called Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Phillip Yancey. And finally, my small group is about to start a study on prayer.

I think prayer is a touchy subject sometimes. When our small group was debating which topic to study next, everyone was really passionate about studying prayer or not studying prayer. Some people find it difficult to pray out loud, so studying to do so might be uncomfortable. Others have a hard time asking for and receiving prayer.

When I think about asking for prayer, an instance from about 3 years ago often comes to mind. I asked some girl friends to pray that God would give me wisdom concerning a promising relationship still in its beginning stages. One girl told me she didn’t feel comfortable “praying about guys.” I was too taken aback to ask her to explain further, but I got the impression she thought my request was silly (She, of course, was already married. I resisted the temptation to tell her I felt uncomfortable praying for her marriage with her). Luckily, none of the other girls present (fellow singletons!) were uncomfortable, and they prayed for me. However, since that incident I've been reluctant to ask people to "pray about guys" with me.

Sometimes I wonder if my requests are too trivial even for God, or if I ask for too many things instead of spending time giving thanks and praising God during prayer. Obviously, my “Please let the Miami Dolphins squash the New York Jets” prayers probably aren’t at the top of God’s list (if they even make His list at all). But I have a hard time believing that my prayers for wisdom concerning any relationship are too frivolous, especially when Ephesians 6:18 says to "pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." I also take comfort in knowing that God accepts our inadequacy in prayer, and allows the Holy Spirit to help us pray (Rom 8:26), even if it's about "silly" relationships.

I'm sure I'll have more thoughts on this as our small group studies continue...