My father-in-law recently died of cancer. A few days before his death, he requested that his children gather for a family prayer. One of the sisters in the room, called the out of town sister so she could be a part of it. But the timing was off a bit. So in the middle of the prayer, we hear "Hello....hello...did you butt dial me?" After the prayer was over, a brother-in-law made a comment that he hopes God doesn't say that to him. But then I got thinking....when I "butt dial" someone, my phone just automatically rings the last person I was talking to, or someone who I have in my easy access numbers. So maybe it would be a good thing to have prayer be such an automatic response to everything in our lives that it is almost as if we did 'butt dial' God.
Sometimes, when I listen to the prayers of other people, I wish I could pray as eloquently as they do. And that used to prevent me from being willing to pray in public. Speaking is not my gift. If I really want to get all of my thoughts across to someone, I know that I need to write it down because they can't read my mind. But in Romans 8: 25-27 it says "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." So I know that no matter how much I stutter and have to search for just the right words, God understands what my heart is trying to say. And of course, the more often I talk to him, the easier it becomes. Along with the more formal prayers, at set times ( devotional time, bedtime, meals) I find myself talking to God as I am driving down the road, or just going about my day. Whether it is something I am grateful for, or something I am hurt or angry about, it helps when I take it to God first. In the margins of my Bible, by 1 Thessalonians5:17 I have written 'God should be the first one you talk to about every detail of your life, he should be your best friend.'
I know that as we have been going through the grieving process, it has been a great source of comfort for me to have such constant and easy access to God.
