Risking Prayer

“Whether or not . . . you have ever dared to pray.” Mary Oliver, “Morning Poem.”
There’s no getting around it; prayer is risky, uncomfortable, scary. In prayer, we hope that we are reaching out in honesty and trust, hope that we are touching the infinite source of all that is good—God. But just as often we are hiding when we pray. The reach of sin—that instinctive desire to cling to control, to hide, to disconnect—touches even our prayers, leaving us feeling disconnected from the Spirit within, leaving our words feeling hollow and empty, not unlike the “vain repetitions” Jesus warned against (Matthew 6:7).
Recommended Course(s): Prayer Basics
Other resources you may be interested in:
Jesus’ Blueprint for PrayerCommunicating with God is as important to your spiritual well-being as breathing is to your...
The Aaronic BenedictionThe oldest text of the Bible found to date is a prayer from Numbers 6:24-26....
Bible PrayersThe prayers of the Bible are honest and authentic, but can we really say those...