Does Prayer Require a Master’s Degree?

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'” Matthew 6:9-10 NIV

Oh my! If prayer required any type of degree, I’d be in big trouble. My high school education wouldn’t get me very far.

I’ve talked to people who refused to pray because they assumed a college degree was necessary to do it right. They thought prolific, fine words were expected to flow from their lips, so they remained quiet to keep from sounding foolish in front of others. Then, after reading the biblical instructions in Matthew 6 on how to pray, they became even more intimidated.

Fear not. Prayers come in all types. It is simple, and yet, can be complex, but we’ll talk about the complex in another session. Today, the simple prayer prevails. In Matthew 19:14 NIV Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Have you ever noticed the innocence of a child’s prayer? It is simple, to the point, and sincere. They say what’s on their heart and go on their way. But adults tend to analyze the proper way to go about saying a prayer, especially if someone will hear them.

It’s okay to pray simple prayers. I do it all the time. “Lord, help me find my keys.” “Lord, heal my hurts.” “Lord, watch over my kids today.” “Little prayers. Easy prayers. All sincere and didn’t require credentials. It only required faith, and Jesus said we only needed faith the size of a mustard seed…another subject for another time.

Check out Melody’s prayer below:

Pouring rain pelted Melody’s windshield just as she pulled into the parking lot of her local grocery store. A moan escaped. High winds from last week’s storm destroyed her umbrella. She whispered, “Lord, I could sure use a close parking place.”

She inched up and down the rows in search of an empty space. Red break lights appeared as a car backed out and left a vacant spot closer that she imagined. A smile spread across her face while a simple, “Thank you, Lord” resonated inside her car.

Wow!

Does this happen all the time? Of course not.

Is it coincidence? No.

Melody understood that Christ cares about every detail of her life, including such trivial matters as a place to park. Her prayer was casual…simple…sincere. She didn’t write it out or study a How-to-Pray guide. She simply uttered her request as though God were sitting in the passenger seat.

Hebrews 13:5 NIV states, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

God is always with us. He wants us to acknowledge Him as Lord and talk to him openly and freely. He desires the best for his children, you and me.

“…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Praying is easy. Go ahead, give it a try.

Loretta