One of my favorite volunteer jobs was praying over the phone.
That's not what I thought when I first got started. I thought praying out loud over the phone was the most awkward thing ever.
It was exactly as it sounds -- people called into the charity asking about our hours, directions, if we had a donated washing machine, a newborn car seat, someone to fix a car, or whatever they needed. As part of answering their questions, my task was to always wrap up in prayer. I prayed for everything -- hot water heaters, jobs, ailing dogs, family concerns, and one time for the benevolence of the Duke Energy Power Company.
I must have gotten pretty good as I was promoted to praying in the charity's grocery and used clothing aisles. Once again, I prayed in awkward ways among the donated vegetables and piles of jeans. Offering prayers in humble, unlikely places always had a way of deeply connecting with people. Most folks were beyond grateful for the simple goodness of someone to hear their hearts.
Truly, I had never been someone who loved praying out loud. I thought prayer was what you did on your own, in the solemn glow of the stained glass church windows. Prayers were the elegant words offered by well-trained Biblical people during Sunday church, lovely meals, or beautiful occasions. Prayer wasn't something that amateurs like me could do, or really do very well. I mean, at that point, I hadn't even read the whole Bible yet.
But God, in His wisdom, showed me differently. In that season, I came to love praying awkwardly and without any sort of good-sounding prayer. Because I prayed everywhere and over everything, it stripped away all my insecurities and notions of what my prayers needed to sound like. It became like talking to a friend.
I think the best prayers are like that -- happening exactly when and where they are needed. Recently, my friend and I were sharing prayer requests in the parking lot. As we were saying goodbye, I said I would pray over her concerns, but was immediately reminded not to wait. Right in the busy asphalt shopping center, we offered prayers to the Father. We didn't wait for a lofty, hallelujah moment. We prayed in perfect, awkward, parking-lot-prayer style. I know God still hears us if we are praying from parking lots, or among the beautiful sounds of the Sunday choir.
Do you want to know how to love awkward prayers? Pray constantly, pray wherever and whenever you are. Pray immediately when asked. Let go of needing to sound spiritual or Biblical. God hears your heart when you present your requests in truth and love. Pray like Christ is listening in blue jeans among the vegetables.
Pray constantly, anywhere and everywhere you are invited.
We often have so many made-up rules about prayer that can get in the way of what our heart wants to say. Thanks for the reminder that God loves all prayers. It helps when I remember prayer is simply talking to God. Thanks for this, Cara.
So good. Thanks for sharing, Cara!