Devotionals

Devotional: Lord, Teach Us To Pray { Luke 11:1 }

‘One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” { Luke 11:1 }

In my mind I picture the sacred act of prayer happening over a warm cup of coffee on a quiet, still morning, giving thanks while seated in front of full plates, and while lying in darkness at bedtime.

While these moments in prayer are great, they are often routine, habitual, going through the motion prayers for me.

Instead, I’m finding that my best prayers, and most connected moments with Jesus do not happen in ‘a certain place,’ or at set times. 

Rather, it’s singing praise aloud in the car to soothe Brody in the backseat as we drive to daycare.

It’s those three deep breaths when I ask for God’s grace, strength, and patience as I clean up spilled milk on an extra busy morning.

It’s counting my blessings as I make ‘tweet tweet’ noises, finding birds on a stroller run.

It’s completely letting my guard down, sharing all my frustrations as I melt away the stress of the day with a late night hot shower.

These are the most sacred prayers that end with a sense of His presence all around me.

I also love what Saint Teresa of Avila says in The Book of My Life. ‘We should occupy ourselves with simply gazing at who is gazing at us. We should keep Him company, talk with Him, pray to Him, humble ourselves and delight in Him, remember what a privilege it is to be near Him.’ 

Devotional Prayer { Luke 11:1 }

Dear God,

It is such a privilege to be in Your presence. 

I want to spend more time gazing at You, 

delighting in Your presence through the sacred act of prayer.