They say prayer is not a spare wheel to be used when your life’s wheel deflates but a steering wheel to guide you through daily life struggles. I enforce this by saying that prayer is neither a template. When I was an average Christian, I used to have set times to pray and read the Bible. I had in my mind that God was alert just before I sleep and when I wake up. I thought his task was to guide me through the night and through the day.
My prayer was also structured with the same words daily. I would first thank Him for my life, for my wealth, I would thank Him for my parents and relatives, I would now mention my needs. This section lasted quite a while as it was detailed and structured as if I make my own life’s destiny. I would then murmur as I have lacked more words to ask. This is the part I would mention my friends and start repeating myself all over again. After repeating the prayer all over again, I would finish by emphasizing on my needs and ask God for a good day tomorrow.
Morning prayers were the worst. I would just mumble some few words and that’s it. In my sleepy face, I would whisper this short prayer with my usual words thanking God for the morning and pray for guidance throughout the day. That was not prayer, but actually directing God how to rule my life. I was simply telling God what to do. My prayer was structured, same words daily and most of the times ot was not from my heart.
It was when I remembered this song that we used to sing in high school, “you’re my friend and you are my brother even though you are a king!” Okay, wait, did the song just say that God is my friend and my brother? Do I relate to God like a brother or like a friend? I pondered over these words and thought of my best and closest earthly friend. This friend has no jurisdiction over my life. This friend cannot give me breath but he knows me inside out when am in problems he is the first to call so that he can bail me out.
I then pondered of how we relate with my brother. How he is the apple to my eye and how close I am to him. How if anyone dared mess with him he will face my wrath but on a daily basis people are so blasphemous to the one who controls my life but I let it pass.
I thought that if God is my brother and friend then He should be closer to me than anyone and anything else. I thought of how I ask my friend for a soft while desperately giving promises of giving a refund at a later time. I thought of how God will not need any refund from me because he gives freely and without reproach. I pondered at the many hangouts we’ve had with my earthly friend and wondered how I would hang out with God. I thought of my brother. I thought of how I loved and cared for him. I was reminiscent of our childhood plays, the brainstorming and the positive decisions we made. I realized that God was not even close to my worst enemy nor a distant blood.
It was time to treat God with Love, much love, amazing love. God had to supercede my earthly friends. He had to be greater than my earthly brother. I thought of how I related to my earthly friend when asking him for a favor. I was composed, relaxed, real and went straight to the point. I had to do more than that to God. I had to be relaxed in my prayer. I had to be real with God. I had to go straight to the point and most of all I had to cut off the crap, the template.
There are no specific prayer times. There are no specific praying places. Prayer comes from deep within you. Gandhi said,” Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
You can pray from that matatu, from the road, from the toilet etc. You necessarily don’t need words to commit yourself to God unlike your earthly friend. God needs you to be as real as possible with Him, the so called worshipping in truth and in spirit. God needs to be involved in your life with even the simplest things possible. You involve your friends on your decisions, even buying that pair, why don’t you do so with God?
Guys, be as real to God. I remember even telling God am going to sin and I needed Him. If you worship in truth and in spirit, you will realize you don’t need to be perfect so that He can work in you. He will take you places you never imagined before.