Devotions with Pastor Donny

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

In this passage Jesus is teaching His disciples about the fundamentals of prayer. Jesus is aware of how they have been influenced by others in their prayer lives. He realizes that not all of these influences have been healthy ones. He encourages them to go back to the basics in prayer. He encourages them to keep it simple.

In his book How to Pray, Pete Greig says, “God invites you to pray simply, directly and truthfully in the full and wonderful weirdness of the way he’s actually made you. Take a walk in the rain. Write prayers on the soles of your shoes. Sing the Blues. Rap. Write Petrarchan Sonnets. Sit in silence in a forest. Go for a run until you sense God’s smile.”

I encourage you to find some time with God to just be in the quiet. Think about how God has both weirdly and wonderfully made you. What is your own unique way of communicating with God? Ask Him to remove the external trappings of religiosity and show you how to express your true self in prayer today.

Pastor Donny