What Does ‘Pray’ Mean?
Recently, my youngest daughter asked me, “Daddy, what does ‘pray’ mean?”
I told her that ‘pray’ is a special word we use for when we talk to God. Talking to God is special, so we have a special word for it. That’s not wrong, but the more I thought about it — it felt incomplete. Talking to God is special but what’s really special about talking to God as a Christian is that God hears us. People talk to gods all the time, but only the one true God hears our prayers. He calls us to pray to him and assures us that he hears our prayers. And our first prayer should be to ask him for his forgiveness in Jesus. God tells us in his word,
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
Father, forgive us for the ways in which we sin because we feel we are not being heard by people. We are sinfully angry when we feel that those under our authority do not listen to us. We are bitter and resentful when we feel our peers do not appreciate what we have to say. We sin when we are not heard by others and it reveals ugly roots of pride and self-righteousness.
Please change our hearts and our instincts, God. Remind us, by your Spirit, that we have the ear of God Most High, creator of heaven and earth. You hear our prayers. They are not a nuisance to you. You command us to be relentless in bringing our prayers and praises and supplications to you. You do not grow weary when we cry out but you are delighted to conform our desires to yours and to answer our prayers. Lord, please hear us now in this time of silent confession.
