Wow, I don't know about you, but prayer is a big deal in our household. Matthew and I each have our very own strong opinions about prayer but we do agree on the importance of prayer. For me, I believe that prayer is very personal; it is my daily conversation with God. I do not have a formal prayer time, I believe that prayer is constant and on going throughout my day and even throughout my life. To me, saying "amen" means that our conversation is over and I don't really want my conversation with God to end. Matthew is able to eloquently pray some of the most beautiful prayers both during church and within his own life. I, however, do not like to pray aloud in public. I struggle greatly with sharing my conversation time with others.
No matter what your personal preference on prayer is, the one that that remains constant is the conversation must be a two way conversation. I loved Matthew's analogy this morning of the phone. If you missed it, Matthew showed us a telephone and said that prayer was like a phone conversation, we call God and tell Him about our problems, make a few requests and hang up. Then Matthew broke off the part of the phone from which we hear the voice on the other end, which left only the part that we talk into. We do an awful lot of talking in those conversations, but we do very little listening. We use God as a "heavenly vending machine" or the "Godly genie"...if we put in the correct combination of prayer and deeds then God will surely give us what we want. Thankfully, God doesn't work that way. I don't know about you, but I am so very thankful that God does not give me everything that I want. Looking back, if God had actually given me everything I had asked for my life would be so much different. Thank goodness He knows best!
We must trust Him and allow Him to be an equal player in our life. Prayer must be an equal conversation between you and God. We must do as much listening as we do talking. God wants to be with you, He longs for you, that is we were created.