BREAKTHROUGHSampel

Prayer is From the Heart If you take a look at Scripture, you’ll encounter something absolutely stunning, there is story after story of people crying out to God with all their heart. And what’s even more stunning—God is listening. This is prayer, the outpouring of our hearts. We tend to make it something mysterious (and it is!), or something you could spend your whole life developing (and you could!), but at root, prayer is sincere, heartfelt communication between God and the human beings He created. From beginning to end in Scripture, praying from the heart is simply assumed. It’s like no one thought to call attention to the concept that it’s possible, desirable, and important for humans to be in intimate conversation with God. Many of us approach the Bible expecting it to be the one thing it certainly is not: a manual listing out techniques for performing religious duties. But the Bible rarely instructs us with any level of detail on techniques. Instead, it is overwhelmingly a book of stories of how a passionate God relentlessly pursues His people. It’s a collection of prayers and songs and letters to and from people who are wrestling to be near to God. And it’s a documentary encapsulating all of the stunning and creative ways that God speaks to us and maneuvers to be near to us. So if we want to learn to pray, we should start by doing what we find people throughout Scripture: simply sharing their heart withGod. One of the most beautiful prayers in Scripture—Psalm 139— continuously asserts that God is absolutely everywhere. He can’t be escaped. So he’s right here now, with you. Don’t overthink it, at least not for today. Talk to him. Share the deepest parts of your heart. He’s listening.