Scripture memory is one of the more challenging spiritual disciplines. Right now, I’m working on Psalm 27, and it’s reminding me that there’s another discipline that’s even harder for me.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, ‘Seek my face.’
My heart says to you,
‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.'”
(Psalm 27:7-8)
I have struggled with prayer for my entire Christian life. I’ve dragged myself out of bed in the early hours to meet with God, and I’ve prayed through night feedings. I’ve organized exhaustive prayer lists and comprehensive notebooks to make sure I was covering all my bases, and I’ve boycotted prayer in frustration.
I pray in agreement with my good husband every morning, and we gather with our church family for prayer. I have prayed misguided, prosperity-gospel-sounding prayers for my sons in our blue mini-van and sad what-are-You-up-to prayers with my walking stick in hand.
David’s written prayers always seem to come from a place of urgency and full confidence that God is in attendance. Psalm 27 is no different. In fact, he seems to be documenting a conversation in which God directed him to seek, and his heart responded in obedience. David never seemed to forget one important truth about prayer:
When we pray, we speak to the God who has spoken to us.
Every prayer is a response to God’s gracious initiative.
As a lifelong reader and lover of words, I am drawn to the discipline of Bible reading. Lately, I’ve been making the effort to consistently view God’s written word as part of an ongoing conversation. My prayer life, then, is my part of the conversation, my seeking of his face, my response to his lavish favor.
Do you struggle with prayer? (I want to be careful here with my terminology, because Elisabeth Elliot’s definition of struggle rings in my ears: “Struggle is delayed obedience.”) May we never allow our perfectionistic ideas about what prayer “should” be like to interfere with the business of actually talking to God.
What’s working for you right now?
When we pray, we speak to the God who has spoken to us. Every prayer is a response to God’s gracious initiative.
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Grief comes to everyone sooner or later, and whether it’s the death of a loved one or the loss of some cherished aspect of our life or identity, God’s Word is crucial for grieving well. Past hurts have a habit of snagging our hearts in unexpected moments, but God provides abundant grace to help the believer move through grief without getting stuck and without wasting the opportunity to walk more closely with the Lord who lightens our darkness.
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Living Our Days 
Since I can’t do anything like normal people, praying is, for me, basically ongoing conversation with God all day. This began when I was a wee kid swinging in the backyard. I wasn’t taught the formal language deemed to be the accepted way to pray but as I grew up and matured in the spirit, I fully understood the importance of all prayer beginning with gratitude. One thing I know for sure, He speaks to us in the way we can hear so we don’t have to use formulaic words for Him to hear us. We just need to be ready to listen, obey and trust.
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