Some thoughts on prayer

Do you ever feel like you're just praying to your ceiling? Like your prayers aren't going anywhere? I've felt that way at times. I think a lot of us have.

And I wonder why - why is it that we think God isn't there? We know that He is. He's promised us that. I know that He hears my prayers, so why do I sometimes feel like I'm just talking to thin air?

I think it's because we don't expect God to show up anymore. We get so caught up in the ritual of prayer that we forget Who we're praying to. Our prayer life should never become a ritual. It should never be habit.

I think another reason we don't feel like God is there is because we don't invite Him to come to us. We say our prayers, but they're just empty words - just comfortable, normal bedtime rituals. We talk at God instead of talking to Him. And we don't listen for His reply.

God wants a relationship with us and relationships require communication. We can't know God if we don't talk to Him, and we can't learn from Him if we don't listen to Him.

So the next time you feel like you're just praying to your ceiling, pray harder. Say what you mean and mean what you say. God just might show up and blow your socks off.