It seems odd to be talking to a group of Christians about prayer. It's like talking to someone about how to hold a conversation. Because prayer is just that - a conversation with God. But, you know, people have all kinds of misconceptions about human conversations. People will say things like, "I shouldn't have to tell him - he should know what I want." And, of course, nothing is further from the truth. People don't know anything unless they are told. So we also have misconceptions about our conversation with God. Some think that it has to be couched in a certain kind of language - preferably the King James, full of "thees" and "thous." Others feel that it must conform to a particular formula. Some, to be safe, will only use prayers they have learned by wrote. Some will only pray for things that are "really important," not wanting to bother God will unimportant details of their life. But all this is wrong. Prayer is a conversation between two lovers - between you and a parent who loves you dearly. That is all that it is. And it is more for your benefit than his - since he already knows your needs, even before you ask.

Tonight there are a couple of things that I would like to remind you about prayer - things that you probably already know, particularly if you pray regularly.

The first thing is, that it is important to pray regularly. Paul said that he prayed "without ceasing." That doesn't mean that he was always on his knees, with his hands folded. It's like a husband and wife who are deeply in love - everything he does, every decision she makes, has the other person in mind. Somewhere, in the back of their mind, is always this other person - the one they love; because they are a part of them - they live in one another's heart. That is what Paul is talking about. Sometimes the conversation between the two comes to the forefront, but it is always there in some measure, playing in the background of their life. Pray regularly - it is your lifeline, your link to the One who loves you, who gives meaning and direction to your life, who gives you strength to deal with everything that goes on in your life.

Second, set apart times to pray. It's important in a marriage to take special times to build the relationship. So also it is important to take time to build your relationship with God. Jesus had a rhythm to his life of activity, balanced against times of meditation and prayer. Every major movement in his life was preceded by a time away, for prayer and meditation. That is no accident. Prayer centers and focuses us on Gods will and work, and gives us the power to complete his will. Without prayer, we lose our center - our activity becomes just so much wheel-spinning. Set apart times for prayer.

Third, keep track of your prayers. This is a little different from our other relationships. Usually we try to tell husbands and spouses not to keep histories of their conversations with their spouses - because we do fail one another. But God does not fail us. Keeping track of our prayer concerns builds up our faith, because he is so faithful. I talked last week about keeping a journal - a kind of "spiritual diary." It helps us see his faithfulness to us and, as we see that, builds our faith. So we end up coming to him, not only for help in time of need, but also to praise him for what he has done. Every parent loves it when their kid comes up to them and thanks them for something they've done. It changes the nature of the parent child relationship, from one based on need to one based on love. Keep track of your prayer concerns and the ways in which God answers them.

Finally - and certainly much more could be said than this - don't be afraid to take everything to God in prayer. Just like the hymn says. Jesus says that the Father has counted every hair on your head. He knows every shadow that passes over your heart. Paul says that God sends his spirit to us, to read on our hearts those concerns to which we are not even able to put words, carrying them to God's throne of grace. As a parent, you know I cherished those times when one of my children would bring some small thing to share with me. It didn't matter what it was - something that filled them with wonder, a small problem or concern, a question on their heart. Sometimes, the smaller, the better - because I knew then that they weren't sharing something because they had to - because they didn't have the resources to cope. They were simply sharing with me because they knew I loved them, and they loved me, and wanted to share something on their heart with me.

The assurance that we have is that God is exactly like that. He knows everything that we need. He knows all the big stuff already. What he wants, is to share our life, our heart with us. He wants us to come to him, like a child to her loving parent, to share with us all of those things that fill us with concern or wonder, to share the discoveries we have made, or just a bit of our heart with him. He wants us to live in his love, and he wants to live in our heart.

That is the heart of prayer.