Next Level: PrayerSample

The first thing Jesus said about prayer is that it is something that is between God and us. Jesus said that when we pray, we shouldn’t make it into a big spectacle or try to draw attention to ourselves. He was warning us about making prayer all about us or using it as a way to make ourselves look good. Jesus is saying that bragging about how many hours you spend praying or drawing attention to yourself during prayer isn’t doing anything for your relationship with God, so you might as well save the energy. Do you ever feel intimidated by prayer or think you have to look a certain way, sound a certain way, or be a specific type of person to pray? When someone asks you to pray in front of a group, do you freak out because of how you might sound? Don’t. Prayer is between you and God. He knows what is in your heart, and He knows what your words mean. We don’t have to polish ourselves up or our words before coming to God in prayer. He’s ready anytime, anywhere. That is good news. Challenge: Today, go somewhere by yourself. Close the door, put away your phone, and take time to pray. Don’t worry about sounding fancy or using big words. Just come before God as you are and tell Him how you are feeling. He’s ready to hear from you!