When you pray, who do you pray to? Some people teach their children to say bedtime prayers or they say grace over meals. Many said the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father who art in heaven…) years ago in school. We hear prayers over the collection plate at church and often at the beginning and end of worship services. There are books of prayers you can read at your leisure, prayer conferences you can attend, and prayer retreats in which you can spend time in silent meditation and contemplation. But let me ask you again, when you pray who do you pray to?

The reason I ask is because I have been in a lot of churches over the years and been around a myriad of Christians around the world, and I have heard a tremendous number of prayers. When I listen to them, I wonder sometimes if people are just saying prayers or if they are actually praying! What I mean is, you can say the Lord's Prayer, or say grace, or say your prayers at bedtime without ever talking to God. It's like leaving a message on an answering machine. You make your call, leave a message, hang up and never have to speak to anyone! Saying a prayer is like that-something that is done from memory or obligation or habit. You can come away from those types of prayers wondering if God actually hears you, or sometimes even wonder what the point of praying is altogether. But actually praying is quite different.

Praying is talking with God as you would talk with a good friend. It is communicating your heart desires, your fears, you concerns, and spending time with someone you love. Praying is not coming to God with a shopping list of things for Him to do, it is sharing your life with Him, finding out what is on His heart and letting him guide you in the coming days and weeks. Is that what prayer is to you?

Saying a prayer is so much easier though and takes much less time. Say a quick prayer and be on your way. Praying is much more dangerous because it could change your life! When you come into the presence of God Himself and allow Him to show you things in your life that need changing, or tell you about people you need to spend time with, or give you wisdom to make difficult decisions, your future could be greatly altered!

I have a feeling that the reason many people do not spend more time in prayer is that they have been saying prayers rather than truly praying to God. They have been doing their duty rather than getting to know the God they are saying their prayers to. Imagine how God feels when His children only leave answering machine messages rather than staying on the line to talk with Him! Is that what you want from your children?

God says through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, "Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you" Jeremiah 29:12-14.

The key to meaningful prayer is to seek God with all of you heart not just your head, not just memorized prayers, not just something you read in a book. God has always been interested in us personally. He has always desired a personal relationship with His people, not duty, not obligation, not tradition, but a heart relationship that is intimate, growing, and meaningful. You may not think this possible. You might even think this is sacrilegious, but all the times where God came and spoke to His people face to face, where He sent prophet after prophet calling His people to turn away from idols and come back to a relationship with himself, and the very life of Christ would demonstrate it is not only possible to have intimacy with God, but He requires it of us. I recall the moment when my youngest son realized he was actually talking to God rather than just saying a prayer. From that moment on his prayers were different - they were from the heart.

Never be content to say a prayer when you can pray to a God who loves you and is waiting for you to seek Him with all your heart so He can share His heart with you. [757 words]