Prayer is communication, not a recital

You probably pray before your meals. You also probably have a devotions time. Prayer

is direct communication with God. I think we sometimes forget just how big that is. If

we’re being honest, I think we all have to admit that one time or another we prayed out

of habit. Maybe we just said, ‘Dear Jesus, thank you for this food, amen’ and didn’t think

of it anymore. Maybe you have a mental check-list of things to pray for and don’t really

think about the words. When we pray, we are talking with God. We often take this for

granted because for as long as you’ve been a Christian (and for some of you that may

be most of your life) you’ve been praying, maybe even before. I am in no way

whatsoever trying to say that praying before meals is pointless or bad. I’m not saying

you shouldn’t have family devotions. You should most definitely be doing these things,

but you shouldn’t do it ‘just because’. You should do it sincerely. When you pray before

meals, you are thanking God for the food he has given you. It shouldn’t just be

‘ThankyouGodforthisfoodamen’. You should be thinking about it and remembering you

are talking to the God who literally spoke to create the entire universe. So to wrap

things up, don’t just recite words. Remember that you are speaking to the God of the

universe and actually talk to him, not just in front of him, so to speak.

-John