I don’t know about you, but staying inside, away from my friends and favorite activities takes a HUGE toll on my mental and spiritual stamina. What could be so hard about wearing my favorite PJs and surfing Netflix for the next binge-watchable show? As it turns out, this is proving to be a very difficult season in my life.
After living in Oklahoma, away from my family for two years, there are aspects of living here at home that make my heart soar! The coffee is always pre-brewed in the morning, dishes are always clean, I have a lovely room with comfy pillows and presumably everything I could ever need to stay here for quite a while! I’ve been so blessed with a warm and happy home, but that doesn’t mean that quarantine comes without challenges!
One of the groups that I left behind when I moved back home was my Bible study on campus. Every Friday morning, the “Coffee and Christ” Bible study meets up for well...some coffee and some Christ! It’s a wonderful thing to have a faith community at school, and I miss our morning meetings a lot. The last thing we discussed in Coffee and Christ was prayer. Prayer is our direct line to God! It gives us a chance to talk to Him, to worship Him, to thank Him, to ask for His help and to just explore our relationship with Him. I was so excited to start being intentional with prayer and especially to highlight thanksgiving and joys to God in my prayers! But then….
I got sent home from my school, I had to pack up my entire room in one day, leave my friends, my professors, and the rest of my semester, to make the trip to Omaha. I resumed my classes online, and stayed in my room for days! To be completely candid, in all of the chaos, I felt myself asking more questions in my prayers than telling God what I was thankful for.
These things help keep my prayers balanced. I can stay honest with God about what is upsetting me or what is frustrating me, while also rejoicing in the blessings I am experiencing in this time as well. Here is a loose prayer guide that I have been using:
God, this is what I’m struggling with…
This is what is making me angry…
This is what is making me sad…
This is what I’m grieving…
This is what makes me smile…
These are words that comfort me…
These are the blessings you’ve given me…
These are the people I’m praying for today...
Thank you for providing this season.
Sometimes I like to write my prayers out as well. Writing before I pray helps me make sure I don’t leave anything out (even though let’s be honest, if you do happen to leave something out don’t worry, if it’s on your heart, God’s got it)
Remember! Prayer doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to use big fancy words, or know the perfect phrase. All God wants is to hear from you, and to explore your own heart in relationship with him. Don’t be afraid of imperfection with prayer, there’s no such thing as the perfect way to pray.
My goal, perfect or not, is to just keep being honest with God about what I’m feeling through prayer. Letting him to my heart is part of the journey, and I know He can navigate all of my confusion, hurt, grief, love and joy. Let’s keep praying with honesty, and letting go of the fear of imperfect prayer. God just wants to hear from us, let’s give him a call.