"Pray"

I don’t know how to say it,

And make it sound all right,

I feel so discouraged,

Down and so uptight.

About all that has happened,

My faults and failings strain,

I have a heavy burden,

And my soul’s in pain.

Like some old head-shy pony,

I kinda want to duck,

When I do know better,

But want to light a shuck.

So I turn to Jesus,

Not knowing how to pray,

But He knows what I’m feeling,

Before the words I say.

And He is so gentle,

In quiet and in peace,

He puts His arms around me,

And graces with release,

From all the things that threaten,

And all that weighs me down,

All the things I wonder,

That turn smiles into a frown.

And what to me is special,

I hardly said a thing,

Just, Lord, you know my problems,

And all the stuff I bring.

And I see Him smiling,

‘Cause He is glad I came,

Just a little time with Jesus,

And nothing is the same.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…” (Phil. 4:6, NLT)

I am often asked how to actually get started with prayer. Though we all know it’s just about talking with God, sometimes there is a reticence and sense of awkwardness about it. I liken it to having a conversation with someone you don’t really know very well. Feelings of uncertainty and insecurity surface, and people sometimes get discouraged with it and think it’s for people who are somehow holier than them. But this is not true. Picturing the Lord sitting there helps me, because His Spirit really is there with us. I have written my prayers when I was having trouble keeping my mind focused. I have also learned (and am learning) to be completely honest about what I am feeling. He knows anyway, but it helps me to just say it to Him. I was reminded by a cowboy preacher yesterday that a big part of the prayer conversation is also about listening, and turning to God’s Word to hear Him speak. All these things help me to pray. But bottom line: it’s better to just back up the truck and dump it, than spend one more day carrying the load. He wants to help us, and prayer positions us to receive His help. Get some.

Lord, teach us to pray, in Jesus’ name.

Praying with my friend, Brad Moore, before we worked his cattle some time back.