DAY 2

KEEP IT SIMPLE

In his book Abba’s Child, Brennan Manning tells a story about an old man who was dying of cancer. His daughter asked the new priest in town to come and pray with her father. When the priest arrived, the old man was in bed and there was an empty chair beside him. The priest assumed the chair was for him and said, “I can see you were expecting me.” But the old man explained that this was not the case and asked the priest to close the door. Once the door was shut, the old man shared something he had never spoken of before—not even with his daughter. He explained that his whole life he had gone to church, but he had never known how to pray. Then four years ago, his best friend had made a suggestion. He said:

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“Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here’s what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith, see Jesus in the chair. It’s not spooky because He promised, ‘I'll be with you all your days.’ Then just speak to Him and listen in the same way you’re doing with me right now.” Brennan Manning

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Joe told the priest that he tried it—and liked it. In fact, he liked it so much he started talking with Jesus two hours a day—and that’s why the chair was always right next to his bed. The priest was deeply moved and encouraged him to continue his journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil and left.

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Two nights later, the daughter called to tell the priest her father had died that afternoon. The priest asked if he had died in peace and she said yes. She had left him at about 2:00 p.m. to go to the store and when she got back an hour later, he was dead. But one thing was odd, she explained. When she found him, he had pulled himself to the edge of his bed—and died with his head resting in the chair.

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This simple story is a beautiful reminder that when we pray, we need to keep it simple. At its heart, prayer is just a conversation—with Jesus. When we forget this, we overcomplicate prayer.

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Sometimes as Christ-followers, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking we need to sound a certain way when we come into the Presence of God. Sometimes we even change our tone of voice or use more “religious” language when we pray. It can also be tempting to edit our thoughts and emotions—to only discuss those topics we think are appropriate for a divine conversation. This is always a temptation—to turn prayer into a religious ritual rather than a personal conversation. However, when we pray this way, it can lead to a superficial and artificial relationship with God—not an authentic one. This highlights an important thought: When we talk with God, we need to be ourselves—and keep the conversation as simple, natural and normal as possible.

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Jesus is perhaps the best example of this. In His day there were many religious leaders who were known for their long-winded prayers. Jesus actually criticized this type of behavior and taught His disciples to keep prayer simple (Luke 20:47). He said,

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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.

Matthew 6:7–8

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God calls us into a real relationship with Him—not a “religious” relationship. While some structure can be helpful in prayer, Jesus rebukes “religious” talk when we pray. After all, He reminds us—the Father knows what we need before we ask, so there’s no need to complicate things.

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So, when we pray, we need to keep it simple. Just pull up two chairs—and have a conversation.

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DAILY RESPONSE

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• Think about the story of the old man and the chair. What things can we learn from his approach to prayer?

• What were some of your first impressions of prayer growing up? Were you taught (either explicitly or implicitly) that we need to use special religious words, tone, or posture when we pray? 

• Have you ever felt uncomfortable praying in a group because you didn’t think you were very good at it? How does Jesus’ teaching speak to this?

• Next week we will study the story of Elijah and prophets of Baal. God withheld rain from Israel for three years because of their rebellion and idolatry. The drought created a national crisis. The land was dry and the crops and livestock were dying. This led to a confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Read I Kings 18. Compare the prayers of the pagan priests with Elijah’s prayer. How does this illustrate Jesus’ teaching about prayer? 

• Write a prayer asking God to clear up any misconceptions you have about prayer that are holding you back from developing a more authentic relationship with Him.  

DAY 3

KEEP IT HONEST

Yesterday we learned if we want to grow in prayer, we need to keep it simple and talk with God as we would talk with a close friend. The next step we need to take in our journey is—keep it honest.

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In any relationship, honesty is the key to intimacy. Whenever we start a new relationship, whether it’s a friendship, romantic relationship, mentoring relationship, or any other kind of close relationship, we are often slow at first to share our true selves. This is normal—and often wise. But as time goes on and trust builds, we start to share ourselves at deeper and deeper levels. As we do, the relationship grows.

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The same is true in our relationship with God. The more honesty we share, the deeper our relationship becomes. This is not always easy. Sometimes we’re afraid to share our true self—especially our “dark side”—for fear God will stop loving us or even reject us. But the reality is, He already knows the truth about us—and He loves us anyway. Remember, this is why Jesus came—not simply to forgive us, but also to heal and restore us. For that to happen, we have to share our true self with Him.

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One of the beautiful things about the Bible is it provides us with many great examples of people who loved God and were very honest about their emotions. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, was called to speak for God when he was still young—probably in his teens. The sins of Judah had finally caught up with them and they were on a one-way road to destruction. In this situation, God chose Jeremiah to deliver a warning of their impending doom. Jeremiah didn’t want the job—but God didn’t give him any other option. Instead, God promised to give him strength to stand up to all the rejection, abuse and danger he would face. At times, Jeremiah did not feel like God was keeping His end of the bargain—and he didn’t hold back from telling God exactly how he felt.

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You deceived me, LORD, and I was deceived; 

     You overpowered me and prevailed. 

I am ridiculed all day long; 

     everyone mocks me. 

Whenever I speak, I cry out

     proclaiming violence and destruction. 

So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and

            reproach all day long. 

But if I say, “I will not mention His word or speak anymore in His name,”

     His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. 

I am weary of holding it in; 

     Indeed, I cannot. Jeremiah 20:7–9

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This is strong language—but it’s in the Bible for a reason. Jeremiah trusted God could handle his anger and frustration—and he was right. Ultimately, this honesty led to a deeper relationship between God and Jeremiah—not the loss of it. In fact, Jeremiah continued to speak on God’s behalf for the rest of his life—and God continued to watch over him.

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Jeremiah’s prayer is not unique; we see this kind of transparency all throughout the Bible. Job complains. David questions. Habakkuk challenges. Jonah sulks. Jesus weeps. Paul is discouraged. Some of the best examples of this type of authenticity can be found throughout the book of Psalms.

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As Philip Yancey writes in The Bible Jesus Read,

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The 150 Psalms present a mosaic of spiritual therapy in process. Doubt, paranoia, giddiness, meanness, delight, hatred, joy, praise, vengefulness, betrayal – you can find it all in the Psalms. Such strewing of emotions, which I once saw as hopeless disarray, I now see as a sign of health. From Psalms I have learned that I can rightfully bring to God whatever I feel about him. I need not paper over my failures and try to clean up my own rottenness; far better to bring those weaknesses to God, who alone has the power to heal. Philip Yancey

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If we want to grow in our relationship with God, we need to learn from these examples and be radically honest with Him. As we share our true selves—the good, the bad, and the ugly—we will experience God’s grace and healing and we can begin to take steps to grow. If we pretend and hide our true selves, we will stunt our growth and miss out on what God has for us.

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If your prayer life is boring, an important question to ask yourself is: How honest am I being with God when I pray? The extent to which we are willing to be honest and obedient to God will determine the depth of relationship we are able to have with Him.

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Remember that when Jesus came, He came for everyone—especially the “worst” sinners. Jesus compared Himself to a doctor who came to heal our souls. But even the finest doctor in all the world cannot help us if we refuse to be honest about our symptoms (Mark 2:13-17). In the same way, the only person God cannot help is the person who refuses to admit his need for help from Jesus. When we filter our thoughts, feelings, and motives—and limit the topics we discuss with God, we cut ourselves off from the Source of true healing and limit our relationship with God. In Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning writes,

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Sometimes we harbor an unexpressed suspicion that Jesus cannot handle all that goes on in our minds and hearts. We doubt that He can accept our hateful thoughts, cruel fantasies, and bizarre dreams. We wonder how He would deal with our primitive urges, our inflated illusions, and our exotic mental castles. The deep resistance to making ourselves so vulnerable, so naked, so unprotected is our implicit way of saying, "Jesus, I trust you, but there are limits." By refusing to share our fantasies, worries, and joys, we limit God's lordship over our life and make clear that there are parts of us that we do not wish to submit to a divine conversation. It seems that the Master had something more in mind when he said, "Trust in me" (John 14.1b). Brennan Manning

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If we want to grow in prayer, we need to keep it simple—and keep it honest. Only then can God do His deepest and most exciting work in our lives.

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DAILY RESPONSE

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• Have you ever found yourself holding back from sharing your deepest thoughts, emotions, and desires from God because you weren’t sure how He might react? If so, what is your biggest fear or concern?

• Read and reflect on these three passages: Jeremiah 20:7-12, Job 7:17-21, and Psalm 55:1-5. Each of these passages models radical honesty. Observe each one carefully. What is the situation? Why are these writers so upset? How are they feeling? Identify their emotions, complaints, and accusations. 

• Is there anything that surprises or impresses you about these three prayers? 

• Write a prayer asking God to help you trust Him enough to be radically honest with Him in prayer.