There is no such thing as practicing prayer.

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“Keep praying.” 
Colossians 4:2a God’s Word to the Nations

We nicknamed our first dog “Psycho” because he went crazy every time the door bell rang. He’d run around the house, jump on the furniture, and treated guests as if we had ignored them.

That’s how I am when I get new camera gear.

The night I took this picture of these gnomes I had received one of those packages on which was written, “Amazon.” Time stopped, the world quit spinning, and the fat lady sang as I opened the package. I’d just received new speed lights to go  with my light stands and shoot through umbrellas.

Since my wife Janice was in Oregon, I set the lights up and spent an inordinate amount of time taking pictures of these gnomes hearing in my subconscious the cliché, “Practice makes perfect.”

Does this cliché apply to prayer? Do we need to practice praying before our prayers are acceptable to God?

When we’re praying we’re not practicing…we’re praying. It’s not as if we’re setting up the lights, trying new angles, and taking a few practice shots. Our imperfect choice of words, poor grammar, and improper use of pronouns is prayer when we’re speaking with God. God is not more willing to answer our prayers if we use King James English than if we talk with him like we talk with our friends.

Paul encourages us to simply keep praying. Don’t worry about saying everything correctly. Instead, keep talking. Prayer is a reflection of our relationship with God, a relationship he has established with us.

“Practicing” prayer does not make it perfect. Prayer is simply prayer. So, let’s keep praying.

Text and Picture Copyright Douglas P Brauner