Praying Excellence
Updated: Apr 19, 2019
You are LOVED BY GOD. Part of accepting God's love is developing a friendship with him. Starting a friendship with God is a lot easier than you might think. Your friendship with God is a lot like your other friendships. If you want to be good friends with someone you need to spend time with them. There simply is no substitute for spending time together to grow that friendship. God has created you to have a friendship with him. All you need to do is start talking with God.
This is where Ricky Bobby of Talladega Nights fame is helpful. Ricky's prayer does not sound like the prayers you usually hear. Ricky does not use any fancy words. Ricky just sounds like Ricky. Ricky talks to God about the stuff that is important in his life. Ricky demonstrates PRAYING EXCELLENCE. I pause for an explicit language warning should you choose to watch the clip of Ricky Praying in Talladega Nights.
I can't say that Ricky's understanding of God's own desires for us is perfect. Ricky's prayer focuses a lot on the things he likes. Ricky focuses on the things he would like God to give him more of. God wants Ricky to have a better deeper friendship with him. But Ricky's prayer is excellent.
"Dear little 8 pound 6 ounce baby Jesus" is an excellent way to start a prayer because it is honest. Ricky uses the words Ricky uses. He is talking to God like he is on the phone with Jesus. This is why Ricky's prayer is excellent.
Instead of trying to use some big fancy churchy sounding words that don't mean anything to him Ricky uses his own words. Ricky is simply talking to God. God loves you so much that he just wants you to talk with him. God does not need you to use any special words, or big words, or fancy words. God wants you to use your words and talk to him.
God wants you to really talk to him. Don't clean up the mess that your life is--God already knows it is messy and that the dishes are dirty. God wants you to tell him about the things that are important to you. God wants you to tell him about the things that bring you joy and the things that bring you worry. When you allow yourself to talk to God honestly using the words you always use you are starting to become God's friend.
Look out next week for a post about some tools to help keep the friendship growing.
Dear little 8 pound 6 ounce baby Jesus give us the courage to talk to you. Amen.
Stay Salty my friends,
Charles+