Real Hope: PrayerSample

## A Conversation It was a warm, beautiful spring afternoon in Sydney. The days were starting to get longer, the sun was shining, and the sky was bright blue. A perfect day to wash the car! As I was washing the car, deep in my own thoughts, our neighbor walked by and said hello. I could see from his disposition that he needed some encouragement, so I switched off the hose, put the foam-filled sponge back in my red bucket, and engaged in conversation. Within a few minutes, I realized that this wasn’t a surface-level conversation, but one that went deeper and one that gave me an opportunity to speak into his life and bring some hope and encouragement. As I reflect on the nature of this conversation with my neighbor, and the blueprint that Jesus gave us for prayer in the above verses, I can’t help but think that Jesus knew that the key to a meaningful conversation is the elimination of distractions. Prayer is a conversation with your heavenly Father and not a monologue with a distant and uninterested deity. Next time you pray, can I encourage you to find a quiet space, which may take some planning and preparation, put aside things and thoughts that distract you, and start with the words ‘Speak God, I am listening…’ ##### written by DRUVI PERERA