This came through to me by email recently. It serves as a reminder that we can all too easily complicate things unnecessarily. And the complications just put barriers up that really don’t need to be there — they’re of our making, not God’s.
Please teach me, Lord …
I want to know
Exactly how to pray.
I need some words
Which ones are right?
Please tell me what to say.
I’ve bowed my head
I have knelt down,
But … should I be upright?
I’ve closed my eyes,
I’ve raised my hands,
Or … should I fold them tight?
Do I stand up?
Should I sit down?
Dear Lord … what do you like?
Are lights turned on
Or are they off?
Maybe … candle light?
Wear my glasses?
Take them off?
Be at my desk or table?
Should I whisper?
Speak out loud?
Do I quote the Bible?
What do you think
about the time?
Do You prefer the dawn?
Should I pray fast,
Or keep it slow?
Better short … or long?
I’m new at this
What are the rules?
I want to do it right.
How do I know
You’ll even hear
That I am in Your sight?
And while I sat there quietly,
Waiting for some sign,
I heard a gentle voice say,
“Do you think I really care
About the time of day,
Or whether you are standing up,
Or kneeling when you pray?”
“I don’t care about your posture,
Or about the place you choose;
Just open up your soul to me,
I have no other rules.”
“Tell me what is in your heart,
And tell me what you seek;
Tell me of your sorrows,
And of those things that made you weak.”
“Speak to me in private
About what concerns you most;
I know about your good deeds …
You have no need to boast.”
“My child, you don’t need lessons,
Just talk to me each day;
Tell me anything you want, dear child,
Anyone can pray.”
About Paul Sibley
Andrew Gosden (now 18) has been missing from his Doncaster home since 14 September 2007. The search continues.
Elizabeth Jackson on 
That is lovely. And so true. It made me go a bit gooey too, because that is what prayer means to me, just sharing with God, even if its in the bath or on the loo!
Absolutely! It’s about the doing, the sharing: not the mechanics, which can just get in the way.
I’m glad you liked it Becca.
I find that when I don’t specific words for what I’m feeling or needing during prayer, I very often end up saying something like “I love you. Thank you. Thank you for my life.”
Those few words say so much.