There are good prayers and there are bad prayers.  The problem is we often use the wrong criteria to tell the difference.  Somewhere along the line we become convinced that good prayers are complicated prayers – long, elaborate, hard to follow and filled with theological jargon.  We become convinced that if we impress God enough, He’ll reward us more.  And it’s just not true.

God is moved by faith not rhetoric.

Having an infant in the house is helping me understand this more and more.  I’ve been trying to teach Jack one simple prayer, “Help me, Jesus.  I don’t want to be afraid.”  The world is apparently pretty stressful when you are two weeks old and Jack gets worked up pretty easily.  I love holding him and reminding him of his little prayer, “Help me, Jesus.  I don’t want to be afraid.”  But when I do, I can’t help but wonder how different my life would be if I prayed that simple prayer more in my life and prayed it with childlike faith.

You don’t need to impress God.  He already loves you.  Pray simply, powerfully and with faith and watch what He does.