After all these years, I still dont fully understand prayer. Its something of a mystery to me. But one thing I know: When were in desperate need, prayer springs naturally from our lips and from the deepest level of our hearts.
When were frightened out of our wits, when were pushed beyond our limits, when were pulled out of our comfort zones, when our well-being is challenged and endangered, we reflexively and involuntarily resort to prayer. Help, Lord! is our natural cry.
Author Eugene Peterson wrote: The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble. When we cant help ourselves and call for help, when we dont like where we are and want out, when we dont like who we are and want a change, we use primal language, and this language becomes the root language of prayer.
Prayer begins in trouble, and it continues because were always in trouble at some level. It requires no special preparation, no precise vocabulary, no appropriate posture. It springs from us in the face of necessity and, in time, becomes our habitual response to every issuegood and badwe face in this life (Phil. 4:6). What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer!
Read: Psalm 142
p.s. I cry out to God A LOT! I even fuss at him frequently when I get frustrated. It’s a good thing He is a good parent and tolerates my snotty attitudes, and forgives me. LOL