What is prayer? Prayer for me is defined simply as having a little talk with Jesus like talking to your best friend or to your spouse. That may not seem revolutionary to you, but when I learned that, it was revolutionary for me. Prayer is just having a little talk with Jesus. I grew up thinking that prayer was a technique – something learned by and reserved for the really religious people. Prayer was a religious ritual you performed. For years, my image of prayer was that it wasn’t a proper prayer if you didn’t have your head bowed, your eyes closed and your hands clasped together. It wasn’t a proper prayer if you didn’t use the right religious words and have the right religious tone of voice. Prayer was what you did in church, before a meal or at bedtime. It changed my life when I realized that prayer was not a religious ritual or a religious duty to perform, but rather prayer was a relationship. Jesus said in John 15:15, “I have called you friends.” It stunned me that Jesus could be my friend. I learned, like the Psalmist said in 62:8, that I could pour my heart out to him. It changed my life. I moved from being religious to having a friendship with God. So, if you have some things on your mind today or you need a little help with things, I have a suggestion. Just have a little talk with Jesus today.
– Dr. Tim Thompson