Guilt-Free Prayer Life

Many years ago, I began a habit of praying for my Sunday School students while I was at the dentist. It was a positive way to spend 20 minutes of my day while confined to a small space. In fact, one of my more challenging high school teens was the subject of many prayers from my dentist's chair. He is nearly 40 years old now, and he still gets prayed for every time I go to the dentist – and this week was no exception. 

Unexpectedly, a consult with a specialist turned into an on-the-spot root canal! For over two hours, I tried to refocus away from what was happening to me and instead use my time wisely. I prayed for my family, my friends, the dentist, the church and even that special young man!

What’s amazing about prayer is that there is not one specific way that it has to be done.

Standing, Sitting, Laying

Lifting Hands or Looking Up

Pounding Chest or Head Between Knees

All these ways, and more, are in the Bible.

All around our world, there are many different prayer practices that may seem odd to one culture, but are perfectly normal to another. In North American culture, prayer is often done while…

Sitting, Standing or Kneeling

With Hands Raised or Hands Folded

Before We Climb Into Bed or After We’re Snuggled In

During Specific Quiet Times or While Busy At Work

While Driving, While Waiting – and even in a Dentist’s Chair!

But, I have a confession to make. For years, I didn’t think I prayed right, and I didn’t think my husband and I prayed right either. Why? Because I was tempted to believe what the Christian culture of the day was encouraging on the radio as well as in Christian magazines and books. There was a lot of talk about having Family Altars and Family Devotions or using 60 Minute Prayer Guides and other structured methods of prayer. There is nothing wrong with these practices, and I have no doubt that in some households they have been a true blessing. But, that wasn't my reality.

In fact, at some point I learned that 'Godly husbands and wives' prayed together regularly. Uh oh! We didn’t do that. Was there something wrong with us? With our faith? With our marriage?

He prayed.

I prayed.

We prayed with our kids.

We talked about our faith with our kids and with each other.

But, we rarely prayed together.

My prayer guilt factor ebbed and flowed for years. I read. I listened to Christian experts. I considered Biblical concepts on prayer. I had a little pity party. I compared our home and marriage to others – at least those who were promoting the concepts. And, I assumed all the other pastors and pastors' wives I knew were regularly praying together, right?

Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that God didn’t actually give us a narrow set of guidelines that must be followed to do prayer 'right.' Instead, He asks us to be faithful in prayer, to pray consistently and continually, to pray in humility, in faith and with unrelenting purpose. God even assures us that when we don’t know what or how to pray that His Spirit will pray for us. Wow! Talk about guilt-free prayer!

What is a shame is that I quietly carried this guilty burden of not being good enough or praying the 'right way' for way too long. I didn’t speak to anyone about it. After all, who would I talk to? It’s not the greatest subject to bring up to your pastor (husband), your parents, your peers in ministry or your church family. Because of my silence, I'm sure my prayer life suffered.

To have the gift of prayer available – anytime, anywhere – is simply amazing! God blessed each of us with such freedom to come to Him each and every day. We must learn to not let that opportunity get away from us. We don't have to worry about finding a specific formula to follow. There is no specific check list that means we’ve 'done it right.'

What works for you? What works in your household? If a system is helpful such as a prayer journal or daily prayer list, that’s great! If a quiet time in a special place at a specific time works for you, that’s wonderful. If your carpet has impressions from where you kneel, hallelujah! If your prayers are sent heavenward from within your car, while working out or from a dentist chair, that's great too! God is not looking at the outward posture, location or time of day, but He is longing to see us and hear our hearts cry out to Him in prayer.

Perhaps it's time for you to also live guilt-free and fully enjoy the gift of prayer!

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16


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