Talking with a Friend

Prayer as a conversation with God

Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated.

When starting a daily prayer life, one might imagine prayer as a formal and stuffy endeavor, with a lot of words like “thou” and “almighty.” But it can be as simple as a conversation with a good friend. When two friends spend time together, catching up and sharing from the heart, time seems to fly by. This is how daily prayer is meant to be.

You can talk to Jesus as a friend.

In your daily time set aside for prayer, you can imagine Jesus sitting with you, and you can talk to him in a conversational way. For example, if your prayer time is after breakfast, you might start off, “Good morning, Lord! Here I am again. Thank you for this beautiful day you have given me, and for this strong cup of coffee! Help me to open my mind and heart to you this morning.”

There’s a lot to talk about!

You can talk to Jesus about whatever you wish. Tell him what’s on your mind. If you’re happy, tell him why you’re happy. If you’re worried, talk to him about what’s going on. Jesus already knows all of this, but he wants to hear you share it with him. You can say thanks, ask for help, pray for others, or ask for forgiveness.

A conversation is better than a list.

As you open your heart to Jesus, it is helpful to talk to the Lord about individual items rather than listing them. For example,
rather than naming a bunch of things that he is thankful for, a husband could begin by first talking to Jesus about his wife:
“Thank you, Lord, for Michelle. She is so caring and patient. I’m so glad that you brought her in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without her!”

Jesus will want to get a word in, too!

Like all good conversations, you will want to make sure your time with Jesus is not one-sided. It will be important to allow time for him to speak back to you. He doesn’t usually speak in a loud voice from heaven, but rather touches our hearts in the silence and in the reading of Holy Scripture. We will explore this in our upcoming messages.

You will get better at prayer as you keep practicing!

Even if it is difficult at first, keep showing up to your daily prayer time. Just as fifteen minutes with a friend can pass without realizing it, the time you set aside for prayer will start to seem like it goes quickly. Jesus loves you and wants to give you his strength and peace; it’s as easy as talking with a friend!