I learned some prayers as a kid, and maybe you did too. They were simple prayers to say before we ate or went to bed or perhaps even went on a long trip. I’m pretty sure I taught my kids the same ones. But Lookibg back on them, one strikes me as a little bit creepy and scary.

Know the one I’m talking about? Bet you do. It goes: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take”

I don’t know if you feel the same, but somehow praying each night about the possibility of dying was both scary. At the same time, I suppose it made me a little bit more aware of the fragility of life. And frankly, that’s something we could all be regularly reminded about. Maybe just not before sleeping!

Life is shorter than I imagined, and it can also be more challenging than I wish. Maybe that’s why God wants us to do life with Him every single day. Perhaps that’s why having close access to His care, power, and wisdom is so important.

And yet, I struggle with prayer. Many of us do. We feel like we are supposed to pray more, and we don’t. We get focused on all the pressing things that scream with urgency, and unless it’s a dire emergency clearly out of our control, prayer is often the last resort.

So we tend to make it into something it’s not. And carry a bit of guilt and shame whenever the topic comes up. At the same time, is it possible that we are missing out on the very thing we desperately need?

This Sunday at Journey’s Crossing, we will talk about prayer and try to shift the narrative that fills the space between our ears and keeps us going round in this pitiful circle.

Maybe we’ve missed the point of prayer and also overlooked its purpose? By digging deeper into how and what Jesus prayed, we can find the joy and power we desperately need. If that’s you, make sure you come in person or online at 9:15 or 11:15 am.

Together, lets shrug off that needless shame and come ready to discover a better way to look at prayer. It could reinvigorate your life, work, relationships, and emotions in a way that nothing else will do. It’s time to move on from saying a little prayer that seems all doom and gloom and begin praying in a way that brings joy and hope! AMEN!? See you there!