WEBVTT 00:00:03.180 --> 00:00:05.320 Lent is a time where we are preparing for Easter. 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:07.620 And here at Trinity, we're doing this thing in 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:11.099 Lent called This is the Way. And This is the 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:14.259 Way is all about spiritual formation, all about 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:16.179 spiritual practices and the things that help 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:19.179 us to follow Jesus better. So we're going to 00:00:19.179 --> 00:00:21.219 spend the next few weeks talking about these 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:23.480 different spiritual practices together. And we're 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:26.660 going to start by talking about prayer, which 00:00:26.660 --> 00:00:29.940 maybe sounds like a really basic spiritual discipline, 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.940 but I think we'll find that it's... It's a little 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:34.859 complex at times. It can be really intimidating 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:38.200 sometimes for some folks. So yeah, excited to 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:41.920 unpack that with you all. So yeah, just first, 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:44.119 when you think about prayer, how would you define 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:46.700 it? What are some of the words or language that 00:00:46.700 --> 00:00:48.380 comes to mind? Someone was like, what is prayer? 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:51.140 What would you say to that? Do you want to start 00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:54.939 a model? For me, prayer is the way that we have 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:57.299 a relationship with God because a lot of the 00:00:57.299 --> 00:00:59.799 times prayer... I mean, yeah, you have communal 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:03.460 prayer, but a lot of the times prayer is a one 00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:06.680 -on -one thing. It's, you know, you're talking 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:08.939 to God and you're asking for things or you're 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:12.560 praying for things. And that's your main line 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:16.140 of communication. Sure. Yeah. That's great. Yeah. 00:01:16.219 --> 00:01:19.519 What would you say, Elizabeth? I hope divine 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:23.939 prayer is a direct ongoing dialogue with God 00:01:23.939 --> 00:01:28.900 or communication. fellowship, and commune with 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:35.620 God. There are some Bible passages relating to 00:01:35.620 --> 00:01:43.379 prayer. Philippians 4, 6 -7 says, Be careful 00:01:43.379 --> 00:01:49.280 for nothing, but in prayer, be careful for nothing, 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:52.620 but in everything, by prayer and supplication. 00:01:53.769 --> 00:01:56.930 With thanksgiving, let your requests be made 00:01:56.930 --> 00:02:01.890 unto God. Verse 7 says, And the peace of God, 00:02:02.069 --> 00:02:05.950 which passeth all understanding, shall keep your 00:02:05.950 --> 00:02:09.629 hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. There 00:02:09.629 --> 00:02:15.689 are other Bible quotations like Psalm 51, the 00:02:15.689 --> 00:02:20.370 favorite Psalm of David when he was repenting 00:02:20.370 --> 00:02:28.490 from his sins. Matthew 7, 7. Matthew 6, 9 to 00:02:28.490 --> 00:02:33.530 13. That's about the Lord's Prayer. And Hebrew 00:02:33.530 --> 00:02:43.069 4, 16. Jeremiah 29, verse 12. And so on like 00:02:43.069 --> 00:02:46.280 that. Okay. Yeah. So like when you think about 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:48.639 prayer, there's these like examples in the Bible 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:51.740 that sort of come to mind that show you this 00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:54.319 is what it could look like. Yes. Yeah. OK. Yeah. 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:57.800 What would you add to that? I think I've got 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:01.039 a very basic definition. Anytime you address 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:06.379 God or have a sense that you are. acknowledging 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:09.960 his presence you know it can be short depending 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.860 on your circumstances it can be very intentional 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:16.860 and longer and it can take many forms I think 00:03:16.860 --> 00:03:20.900 for me personally the sort of more personal address 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:24.159 is the dominant way in which I pray but there 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:27.250 have been so many times when I've also reached 00:03:27.250 --> 00:03:29.669 for more structured prayers, which have given 00:03:29.669 --> 00:03:31.669 me words. The Book of Common Prayer, there have 00:03:31.669 --> 00:03:34.349 been times and periods in my life when I've reached 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:38.449 for those because they do have a broader, bigger 00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:42.990 vision of who God is and, you know, the breadth 00:03:42.990 --> 00:03:45.650 and depth that I sometimes can muster on my own. 00:03:45.770 --> 00:03:50.150 So I think it's both. It's that sense of presence. 00:03:51.270 --> 00:03:53.909 Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think what I like about all 00:03:53.909 --> 00:03:56.810 that is that there is, a sense in which prayer 00:03:56.810 --> 00:04:00.110 can be very personal, that it is just about you 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:02.330 and God and whatever words sort of come to mind 00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:05.250 for you. But if that feels intimidating or if 00:04:05.250 --> 00:04:06.969 you just don't know what to say, then there are 00:04:06.969 --> 00:04:10.030 models in scripture, models in books and things 00:04:10.030 --> 00:04:12.729 that other people have written that help us in 00:04:12.729 --> 00:04:15.870 our prayer life. And I think that's really cool 00:04:15.870 --> 00:04:18.709 that we get both of those things. God's not just 00:04:18.709 --> 00:04:21.079 all about... wrote and it needs to be done this 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:25.220 specific way um we can use our words or if that 00:04:25.220 --> 00:04:28.120 doesn't feel right we can use god's words we 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.779 can use other people's words so would you say 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:33.740 it's like there's uh like there's like a set 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:36.759 of prayers or so or like if you're feeling this 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:39.819 you pray this prayer or you're feeling that you 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:43.699 fear like or sort of like you turn to a certain 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:48.990 uh already written prayer Not a certain. I think 00:04:48.990 --> 00:04:52.209 the thing with the daily offices and things like 00:04:52.209 --> 00:04:56.470 that were that they had a lot more Psalms. They 00:04:56.470 --> 00:04:58.250 had a lot more scripture that you can meditate 00:04:58.250 --> 00:05:03.050 on and pray with it. So it changed each day. 00:05:03.449 --> 00:05:05.949 Oh, okay. So it's not like a themed thing, right? 00:05:07.050 --> 00:05:10.449 You can. I think there are also themed prayers. 00:05:10.589 --> 00:05:13.470 I didn't go looking for those. I wanted just 00:05:13.470 --> 00:05:17.819 a space where I wasn't. necessarily only ever 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:21.680 repeating my own concerns all the time I needed 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.220 at some point a bigger vision of who God is and 00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:26.699 how he's working in the world and and I needed 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:30.220 the ability to do that with scripture and so 00:05:30.220 --> 00:05:34.379 I reached for these practices to be able to allow 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:37.920 for that to happen right I have to confess it 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:40.779 was not though I mean there were you know times 00:05:40.779 --> 00:05:43.819 and I went through that and then As usually, 00:05:43.899 --> 00:05:46.319 you know, it dropped off a bit. Sure. Things 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:48.959 like that. But, yeah, those were times when I 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:52.500 felt that I was being pulled out of just my own 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:58.100 concerns. And that helped to deepen a sense of 00:05:58.100 --> 00:06:04.259 trust in God. What really helps me is about the 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:10.079 acronym for prayer acts. Okay. We stand for adoration, 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:15.370 confession. Thanksgiving so I for my own I like 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:19.569 to go according to that sure yeah so it it really 00:06:19.569 --> 00:06:23.670 helps me a lot yeah okay so acts adoration confession 00:06:23.670 --> 00:06:27.069 Thanksgiving supplication these are good words 00:06:27.069 --> 00:06:28.790 but they're big words so maybe we should just 00:06:28.790 --> 00:06:30.829 take a take a sec to say what are we talking 00:06:30.829 --> 00:06:34.250 about so Adoration, what does that look like? 00:06:35.750 --> 00:06:40.670 Adoration prayer is the prayer we offer in praises 00:06:40.670 --> 00:06:46.009 to God for all he has done for us. Yeah. Then 00:06:46.009 --> 00:06:50.689 prayer of confession is like in Psalm 51, when 00:06:50.689 --> 00:06:55.850 David offer... all his heartfelt communication 00:06:55.850 --> 00:06:59.829 with God about the sins that he has committed 00:06:59.829 --> 00:07:07.170 with Bathsheba. So he offered that kind of prayer. 00:07:07.509 --> 00:07:16.569 So, and the Hebrew verb for that is jadah in 00:07:16.569 --> 00:07:20.860 the main word. for the times in the Old Testament, 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:26.939 and it's used in 1, 14 times. So prayer of thanksgiving 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:31.180 is the expression of gratitude directed towards 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:34.579 God for his blessing, proficient protection, 00:07:35.060 --> 00:07:43.889 and blessing that was received. um supplication 00:07:43.889 --> 00:07:49.149 prayer is the action of petition asking for asking 00:07:49.149 --> 00:07:53.750 god for something specific a solemn request for 00:07:53.750 --> 00:08:01.769 help an object of worship so yeah yeah so adoration 00:08:01.769 --> 00:08:06.600 this giving thanks to god or just like i i think 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:09.259 it's just acknowledging who god is like that 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:11.860 sense of transcendence right that he's so much 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:14.759 bigger than even he's just so much bigger and 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:18.300 so being able to first acknowledge that and letting 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:22.680 yourself meditate yeah on that space of just 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:26.199 how big he is how much greater than anything 00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:28.759 we can imagine, and that, I find, is the space 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:31.339 of adoration. Yeah, I remember when we were talking 00:08:31.339 --> 00:08:33.860 earlier, you said that you find adoration like 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:35.620 the hardest part of the prayer. Yes, yes, because 00:08:35.620 --> 00:08:37.840 it's so transcendent compared to the other three, 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:40.100 right? The other three, I can say lots of, I'm 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:42.279 very thankful for so many things, but it's my 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:44.620 little world. Sure. Supplication and confession 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:49.460 are also my own little, my needs, my, and they 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:52.440 all matter, right? Every one of that matters, 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:55.529 but adoration is the space where you're, or releasing 00:08:55.529 --> 00:09:00.490 yourself and focusing more on who God is, and 00:09:00.490 --> 00:09:02.929 that can be challenging. For sure, for sure, 00:09:02.990 --> 00:09:06.309 yeah. Yeah, so we recognize who God is, then 00:09:06.309 --> 00:09:08.789 confession is kind of a moment of recognizing 00:09:08.789 --> 00:09:14.740 who we are. Yeah. And not... Obviously, in the 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:16.419 context of confession, that can kind of have 00:09:16.419 --> 00:09:18.539 a negative connotation. And that's, I think, 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.240 important for us to recognize our shortcomings 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:22.559 and also say that's not the entirety of who we 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:25.700 are. But in that moment, bringing those confessions 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:29.399 to God. Yeah, and then Thanksgiving. Again, I 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:33.039 think this is the part, like, when you pray. 00:09:33.909 --> 00:09:36.529 when I pray with small children, it's often like, 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:38.269 okay, so what do you want to like thank God for? 00:09:38.330 --> 00:09:40.110 And what do you want to ask God for? And these 00:09:40.110 --> 00:09:42.429 are sort of the two, the two things. Okay. So 00:09:42.429 --> 00:09:43.850 what are, what are we going to thank God for? 00:09:43.950 --> 00:09:46.149 And then supplication is the, so what are we 00:09:46.149 --> 00:09:49.570 going to ask God for? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think 00:09:49.570 --> 00:09:52.149 that's a really helpful way to think about these 00:09:52.149 --> 00:09:55.330 different aspects of, of prayer for sure. So 00:09:55.330 --> 00:09:58.490 would you say acts the, that acronym that, that 00:09:58.490 --> 00:10:01.990 that's how all your prayers should be structured, 00:10:02.049 --> 00:10:04.929 but then like you can make it, personal like 00:10:04.929 --> 00:10:08.250 how you think how you confess like what you're 00:10:08.250 --> 00:10:10.610 confessing and all that kind of stuff it would 00:10:10.610 --> 00:10:14.470 be like it because it sounds almost like you're 00:10:14.470 --> 00:10:17.190 not telling us what to pray but you're saying 00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:19.789 How the structure of your prayer should be. Yeah, 00:10:19.789 --> 00:10:23.169 I think it depends on the individual. It does. 00:10:23.429 --> 00:10:26.169 Yeah. I wouldn't say, I mean, sometimes I end 00:10:26.169 --> 00:10:28.370 with adoration because I needed to get a whole 00:10:28.370 --> 00:10:30.370 lot of like my own stuff out of the way before 00:10:30.370 --> 00:10:32.950 I can. So I don't necessarily, I don't like, 00:10:33.009 --> 00:10:35.570 it's a, you know, it's not necessarily a structured 00:10:35.570 --> 00:10:37.789 model, but it is an easy way to understand four 00:10:37.789 --> 00:10:40.289 aspects of prayer. And I feel like sometimes 00:10:40.289 --> 00:10:44.129 adoration can just be. Like a very simple thing 00:10:44.129 --> 00:10:46.870 of, anytime you say thank you God for whatever, 00:10:47.009 --> 00:10:50.049 that's adoration. Correct, right? Well, kind 00:10:50.049 --> 00:10:53.870 of. So the thank you God is the thanksgiving. 00:10:54.049 --> 00:10:56.629 Oh, okay. Yeah, the adoration is more just like 00:10:56.629 --> 00:11:00.470 who God is. Oh, okay. I guess the thanksgiving 00:11:00.470 --> 00:11:03.970 is probably the easiest. It is. I do find it 00:11:03.970 --> 00:11:06.750 easiest, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Adoration, I think. 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:10.139 it's connected to Thanksgiving. Right. But it 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:12.559 is, it's more, I think transcendent is a good 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:14.919 word for it. But it's like, God, you are creator. 00:11:15.100 --> 00:11:19.419 God, you are father. God, you are life. We cannot 00:11:19.419 --> 00:11:22.659 do anything without you. Yeah. But also, I think, 00:11:22.659 --> 00:11:24.740 especially if you're struggling with some of 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:29.379 the challenges of our world today, it's that 00:11:29.379 --> 00:11:32.500 space where you go, God, you haven't dropped 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:36.440 the ball. Yeah. You know, like, it's such a broken 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:41.899 world and you have to, you are the only one who 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:46.080 can actually redeem it because it feels so much 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:48.480 bigger than what we are capable of. And so that 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:53.019 space of release, that meditation on who God 00:11:53.019 --> 00:11:58.000 is can allow for that to happen. For sure. Yeah. 00:11:58.120 --> 00:12:02.509 So how, has prayer sort of been part of your 00:12:02.509 --> 00:12:06.149 spiritual life so far? I know, like, for me, 00:12:06.210 --> 00:12:09.169 I grew up in a household of Christians and people 00:12:09.169 --> 00:12:11.190 of faith, and so, like, prayer was sort of a 00:12:11.190 --> 00:12:14.509 thing that was always part of my life. But it's 00:12:14.509 --> 00:12:17.990 become, I think, shifted over time. Like, I've 00:12:17.990 --> 00:12:21.129 found now that, like, writing my prayers is actually 00:12:21.129 --> 00:12:23.250 more helpful for me. It helps me to stay more 00:12:23.250 --> 00:12:25.830 focused than just trying to, like, think or say 00:12:25.830 --> 00:12:28.840 them out loud. But yeah, what about for other 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:32.039 folks? What does prayer look like for you? Prayer 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:37.580 has been part of my life, has been part of my 00:12:37.580 --> 00:12:41.659 spiritual life since my childhood, growing up 00:12:41.659 --> 00:12:47.110 in my family. My parents, they are very disciplinary 00:12:47.110 --> 00:12:52.269 Christians. That, you know, even that time we 00:12:52.269 --> 00:12:55.330 always say, oh, they are too strict on us and 00:12:55.330 --> 00:12:58.470 all that. Because early in the morning before 00:12:58.470 --> 00:13:03.490 5 a .m., we have to wake up and gather exactly 00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:08.289 5 a .m. Everybody has to be in the living room 00:13:08.289 --> 00:13:14.409 for morning devotion. At night before we go to 00:13:14.409 --> 00:13:18.769 bed, the same routine every day of our lives. 00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:23.830 So it's been... It's a real discipline for you. 00:13:23.830 --> 00:13:26.529 Yeah, it's been like that. Even up till now, 00:13:26.769 --> 00:13:29.909 I stay awake very early in the morning to do 00:13:29.909 --> 00:13:33.269 my... Still 5 a .m.? To do my devotion. Even 00:13:33.269 --> 00:13:35.850 sometimes before then because I always go to 00:13:35.850 --> 00:13:39.870 bed early. Sure. so that i can get up early so 00:13:39.870 --> 00:13:43.690 yeah it's been part of my life it's like if i 00:13:43.690 --> 00:13:48.009 don't do it in a day it's like i'm worn out or 00:13:48.009 --> 00:13:51.470 something so it's like feeding myself spiritually 00:13:51.470 --> 00:13:54.830 every day you know it's like having breakfast 00:13:54.830 --> 00:14:00.149 so that's how prayer is and you know the bible 00:14:00.149 --> 00:14:04.590 always says pray without ceasing so continuously 00:14:04.590 --> 00:14:09.299 every every time of the day so that we won't 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:13.919 be 10 times above our limitation. Sure. So I 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:18.539 say Christian. Yeah. But do you feel like now 00:14:18.539 --> 00:14:21.179 as an adult, when you're making the choice to 00:14:21.179 --> 00:14:24.240 still get up at five, that it actually doesn't 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:26.419 mean more now as an adult than when you were 00:14:26.419 --> 00:14:29.639 as a kid? I don't. It's the same, you know, because 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:32.340 it's been part of my life. So I'm used to it. 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:36.399 If I'm sleeping like this, something will just 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:40.220 wake me up at that particular time. It's just 00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:42.639 part of who you are. Yeah, it's been part of 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:48.700 me all my life. And we're always grateful. Sometimes 00:14:48.700 --> 00:14:52.519 when me and my siblings gather together, maybe 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:57.240 for occasion or maybe Christmas or Easter season, 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:00.620 we always talk about our appearance because we 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:05.179 are orphans now. We always cherish what, you 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:08.139 know, the foundation that they have laid in our 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:10.879 life and we're following it and our children 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:16.200 are following it too. So, you know, even raising 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:18.899 my daughter, I was so strict with her because 00:15:18.899 --> 00:15:23.080 I don't joke with prayer or anything pertaining 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:27.340 to Christian life. Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting 00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:30.080 you say that with the, with, because the thing 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:33.529 is, it's like, I mean, I was born into a Muslim 00:15:33.529 --> 00:15:36.309 family, and for the first 20 years of my life, 00:15:36.330 --> 00:15:40.049 I was considered Muslim. But one of the things 00:15:40.049 --> 00:15:43.230 that was difficult was the fact that, like, even 00:15:43.230 --> 00:15:46.750 if I was saying my prayers, it was, you know, 00:15:46.769 --> 00:15:48.769 I was just going through the motions. I was just 00:15:48.769 --> 00:15:51.750 trying to memorize the Arabic words. I didn't 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:54.129 even know what a lot of it meant, and I didn't 00:15:54.129 --> 00:15:57.149 have any desire, you know, and I was just going 00:15:57.149 --> 00:16:02.950 through the motions. Now that I'm Christian, 00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:06.070 you know, when I pray, I actually really mean 00:16:06.070 --> 00:16:09.049 it. You know, I'm actually, it means something, 00:16:09.149 --> 00:16:11.809 you know. It's not just going through the motions 00:16:11.809 --> 00:16:14.809 or saying, like, you know, at the very least, 00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:17.669 it's a reminder or something, you know. Like, 00:16:17.669 --> 00:16:21.330 even the Lord's Prayer, you know, we always say 00:16:21.330 --> 00:16:24.429 at church, you know, sometimes it's a good reminder, 00:16:24.529 --> 00:16:27.600 yes, you know. You know, give me, you know, like, 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:30.039 yes, I've, you know, forgive me for my sins, 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:33.559 all this kind of stuff, you know. But I find, 00:16:33.580 --> 00:16:36.559 yeah, it's now that I'm Christian, it's like, 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:40.460 like, the thing is, is with Islam, when you did 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:43.019 your prayers, it was always a scheduled time. 00:16:43.179 --> 00:16:45.879 Sure. You know, it was always like you have to 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:47.720 call the prayer and then you do your prayers 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:50.700 and you have certain prayers and and whatnot 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:53.580 that you do for certain times and whatever, you 00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:57.440 know, and it's very. very structured, but I, 00:16:57.559 --> 00:17:00.779 as a Christian, I don't have that. It's so, you 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:05.259 know, if I, you know, if I make the time to say 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:08.680 a prayer, I actually mean it. And that's important. 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:12.500 And I feel like even as Christians, I think it's 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:14.559 important that whenever we're saying our prayers, 00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:17.559 that we're actually meaning it and that it's 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:19.880 not, you're not just saying it well, because 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:22.779 we have to say, you know, like, you know, because 00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:25.369 it. Because it's like, you know, if God can tell 00:17:25.369 --> 00:17:28.630 if you're repentant, God can also tell if you 00:17:28.630 --> 00:17:31.430 actually mean what you're praying. Yeah, for 00:17:31.430 --> 00:17:35.950 sure. Yeah, I mean, for me, prayer, as I said, 00:17:35.970 --> 00:17:39.029 is very personal, very often. And Elizabeth, 00:17:39.130 --> 00:17:40.849 I was listening to you and thinking, oh, I'm 00:17:40.849 --> 00:17:43.730 a parent and I don't do it. What am I doing here? 00:17:43.890 --> 00:17:45.970 You don't force your kids to get up at 5 a .m. 00:17:45.970 --> 00:17:48.990 No, I don't. We pray every night. And there used 00:17:48.990 --> 00:17:50.829 to be a time when we would pray in the morning, 00:17:50.869 --> 00:17:53.740 too. You know, things got early. The kids are 00:17:53.740 --> 00:17:57.720 going off to leaving at 7 .15. So it just, I'm 00:17:57.720 --> 00:17:59.759 like, oh, my goodness, maybe that's what I should 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:04.759 be doing. But personally, though, you're right. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.720 Like, I think it's that space of relationship, 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.779 right, that is so important in the Christian 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:13.170 walk with God and in prayer. On the one hand, 00:18:13.170 --> 00:18:15.849 the lack of imposition because it creates space 00:18:15.849 --> 00:18:18.569 for relationship is so valuable in terms of being 00:18:18.569 --> 00:18:22.150 able to address God as a father, as somebody 00:18:22.150 --> 00:18:24.470 who cares. And at the same time, a lack of structure 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:26.750 can also sort of let you drift off. For sure. 00:18:26.910 --> 00:18:30.710 You know, because it's not so imposed. Anyway, 00:18:30.930 --> 00:18:33.369 so that I will say that that is my struggle on 00:18:33.369 --> 00:18:36.430 an ongoing basis. The ability to both lean into 00:18:36.430 --> 00:18:38.509 the relationship and at the same time, if I'm 00:18:38.509 --> 00:18:41.250 not actually structuring it, it is easy. easy 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:45.470 to not spend the time intentionally praying. 00:18:45.609 --> 00:18:48.109 So, yeah. And I mean, I get that, like, especially 00:18:48.109 --> 00:18:50.150 if you're raising kids, you need to have that 00:18:50.150 --> 00:18:54.130 structure. But I think it's like, I think it's 00:18:54.130 --> 00:18:56.490 a sign of a successful Christian parent when, 00:18:56.549 --> 00:18:59.269 you know, they they're adults and they still 00:18:59.269 --> 00:19:01.710 want to continue the daily prayer. They still 00:19:01.710 --> 00:19:04.809 want to do that. You know, it's like I always 00:19:04.809 --> 00:19:08.089 think like, you know, a successful parent is, 00:19:08.130 --> 00:19:11.339 you know, you go from. dragging your kids to 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:13.619 the church to them when they're old enough be 00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:15.920 like no i'm going to church yeah you know yeah 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.740 or they go off to college okay let me find a 00:19:18.740 --> 00:19:22.200 church you know yeah yeah yeah because they aren't 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:26.680 going to ask for righteousness so being in prayer 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:31.180 mode is the best will sure yeah it really shapes 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:33.900 all of the other practices all of the other pieces 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:38.180 of our faith yeah for sure Yeah. So then when 00:19:38.180 --> 00:19:40.599 you think about prayer, what are some of the 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:42.799 parts that you feel like are really challenging? 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:44.759 We've talked about, you know, this trying to 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:48.119 make it a habit and, you know, the struggle, 00:19:48.259 --> 00:19:50.599 I think, between we don't want it to be too rigid, 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:52.900 but maybe some structure is helpful sometimes. 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:55.839 Yeah. What else is challenging about prayer? 00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:01.980 In my life, I don't really have find any challenging 00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:07.339 about prayer because. I always create time for 00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:11.880 myself in prayer. The only challenging issue 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:16.599 I have is, you know, like maybe when you are 00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:20.720 in a restaurant and immediately you bow your 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:24.519 head like this, people start looking at you, 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:29.319 you know. Or maybe on my break time at work, 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:35.599 oh. the Christian lady is here, you know, all 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:38.039 those things. Sure. You don't want to, like, 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:43.140 stand out. So that's the only challenging part 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:50.819 I have in my life. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I would 00:20:50.819 --> 00:20:52.740 say that the place where I find challenge, I 00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:55.680 think that sense of transcendence that we alluded 00:20:55.680 --> 00:20:58.539 to earlier is the place where, and... where I 00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.039 find it challenging. But I think the way it comes 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:04.019 out most is it's easy when I'm praying for myself, 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:06.720 my family. You know, those things are very concrete. 00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:10.880 They're very new. It's hard to pray for the world. 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:14.220 Yeah. It's hard to even know what to pray for 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:17.960 or how to put that to God. And I do find that 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:21.480 challenging. That space, I just don't know, like, 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:23.400 is it worth praying? Like, you know, like, how 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:26.220 do you even begin to address the brokenness? 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:32.180 and hurt and pain and violence. In prayer, God 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:35.119 can give me a lot of peace when I'm praying within 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:40.019 my own little space. But when it feels like the 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:42.500 brokenness just goes on in so many painful ways, 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:48.920 it just feels unending. And there I really find 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:55.319 me wondering how to pray. That is a... space 00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:57.640 where i find it very challenging to pray yeah 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:00.220 to know what to pray and to know how to pray 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:02.720 and to know what it you know what it's doing 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:05.200 or anything yeah yeah i really resonate with 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:07.700 that like there there are so many moments where 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:11.069 i'm like god it's just a mess yes i don't feel 00:22:11.069 --> 00:22:13.710 like i have more words than that yeah yeah um 00:22:13.710 --> 00:22:15.849 and so yeah it really depends on the concern 00:22:15.849 --> 00:22:18.990 sure um how easy it is to pray or not yeah yeah 00:22:18.990 --> 00:22:21.670 for sure and i think in some of those moments 00:22:21.670 --> 00:22:23.869 there's this passage in scripture that talks 00:22:23.869 --> 00:22:26.009 about like when we don't know what to pray yeah 00:22:26.009 --> 00:22:28.750 that like god's spirit intercedes for us and 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:32.589 that like our groans are a kind of prayer yeah 00:22:32.589 --> 00:22:35.089 um and i think that's really beautiful and like 00:22:35.089 --> 00:22:38.700 helpful to be like I don't need words because 00:22:38.700 --> 00:22:41.500 I can't pull them out of my head right now. Yeah, 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:44.920 I hadn't thought of that. God hears us in that. 00:22:45.099 --> 00:22:48.900 That space of sorrow before God is itself a kind 00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:51.460 of prayer. Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:54.019 I mean, it's definitely the daunting thing to 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:57.039 pray for all the brokenness because it's like, 00:22:57.119 --> 00:23:00.119 you know, individuals on their own, it's like... 00:23:00.430 --> 00:23:03.670 can be very very stubborn like for sure even 00:23:03.670 --> 00:23:06.390 the whole idea of forgiveness yeah there'll be 00:23:06.390 --> 00:23:08.670 people that will never forgive somebody and go 00:23:08.670 --> 00:23:11.390 to their grave not forgiving yeah you know and 00:23:11.390 --> 00:23:13.769 then you add in all this extra pain and hurt 00:23:13.769 --> 00:23:17.349 and everything and back and forth it's like yeah 00:23:17.349 --> 00:23:20.809 you know being redeemed and being trying to be 00:23:20.809 --> 00:23:23.069 a good christian and coming to christianity i 00:23:23.069 --> 00:23:26.690 mean this is things that it's not easy it's not 00:23:26.690 --> 00:23:30.630 something that you know in some ways it feels 00:23:30.630 --> 00:23:34.529 like a long shot like you know it's like it's 00:23:34.529 --> 00:23:38.130 like again like most of my family either they 00:23:38.130 --> 00:23:41.589 are not christians or they're muslims or you 00:23:41.589 --> 00:23:45.549 know and it's like could some of them come to 00:23:45.549 --> 00:23:49.869 jesus maybe but it's feels like a very long shot 00:23:49.869 --> 00:23:53.150 sure it's a long time of prayer you know and 00:23:53.150 --> 00:23:55.349 it's just sort of like you get to the point where 00:23:55.349 --> 00:23:59.609 it's like I mean, it would be nice, but, you 00:23:59.609 --> 00:24:03.069 know, you sometimes you don't want to pray for 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:06.990 big stuff like that because most likely the people 00:24:06.990 --> 00:24:09.430 are going to disappoint you by not being that 00:24:09.430 --> 00:24:12.349 way. Sure. Yeah. So it's easy. Sometimes I find 00:24:12.349 --> 00:24:15.369 it's easy almost to like dismiss people because 00:24:15.369 --> 00:24:18.269 then they can't hurt you. Sure. If they're already 00:24:18.269 --> 00:24:20.329 a lost cause, well, then, you know, it's okay. 00:24:20.349 --> 00:24:22.789 You know what I mean? Right. Sure. Versus if 00:24:22.789 --> 00:24:24.529 you want to have hope and they keep letting you 00:24:24.529 --> 00:24:27.549 down. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't give up. 00:24:27.589 --> 00:24:28.609 Just continue praying. That's what I was going 00:24:28.609 --> 00:24:30.890 to say. I think in a moment like that, you can 00:24:30.890 --> 00:24:33.390 actually think of prayer as a diagnostic on your 00:24:33.390 --> 00:24:37.859 own trust and release to God, you know. like 00:24:37.859 --> 00:24:40.960 his timeline is not ours and the prayer can be 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:42.720 that space where you're praying for something, 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:45.019 especially if it's very concrete. Right. And 00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:46.720 you're like, okay, I don't have the timeline 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:49.579 on this, but I keep going because that itself 00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:52.960 is the act of trust that God has it. Even if 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:55.680 you don't see it now or in a month or in a year, 00:24:55.700 --> 00:24:57.759 like, I don't know. There are so many stories 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:59.759 of people who have been praying 20 years before 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:02.480 someone came to Christ or, you know, and that's 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:05.990 pace where. Yeah. You both recognize the need, 00:25:06.049 --> 00:25:10.150 but release the result to God. Right. And that's 00:25:10.150 --> 00:25:15.730 hard. We want to see things now. So, but yeah. 00:25:15.849 --> 00:25:17.630 Yeah. I mean, in a lot of ways, it's like the 00:25:17.630 --> 00:25:21.529 whole, was it Jesus leaving the 99 for the one? 00:25:21.630 --> 00:25:23.990 Right. You know, and you're like, okay, well, 00:25:24.089 --> 00:25:25.549 is somebody in my family going to be the one? 00:25:25.630 --> 00:25:28.430 Or is it going to be like some random person? 00:25:28.470 --> 00:25:33.210 You know what I mean? Each of us is the one. 00:25:34.430 --> 00:25:37.549 True. But, you know, as well, sometimes I feel 00:25:37.549 --> 00:25:41.670 like, you know, it's easy to pray for somebody 00:25:41.670 --> 00:25:43.289 if someone actually has, like, a prayer request, 00:25:43.589 --> 00:25:45.869 you know, for, like, they need help with this 00:25:45.869 --> 00:25:50.869 or whatever. But sometimes I also want to pray 00:25:50.869 --> 00:25:53.509 more for me that I continue to be a good Christian. 00:25:53.589 --> 00:25:56.150 Sure. And I think both are allowed. You know, 00:25:56.150 --> 00:25:58.759 because it's like. OK, you could say try to save 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:01.700 everybody. But like at the same time, you want 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:03.640 to be written in the book of life. The last thing 00:26:03.640 --> 00:26:06.720 you want is Jesus to say, depart from me. I never 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:09.559 knew you. Right. Sure. I want him to say, well 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:11.680 done, my good and faithful servant. Right. You 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:15.240 know, so I'm always so I'm kind of thinking like, 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:17.920 you know, I'm on this Christian journey. How 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:21.440 do I continue to be on the right path? You know, 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:24.079 because you can be Christian and then it's like. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.400 You could still be doing all the wrong things 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:29.839 or being or not being Christlike or, you know. 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:32.420 Sure. Yeah. So we need we need to pray for ourselves 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:34.500 as much as we need to pray for other people. 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:37.460 And those I think that it all sort of feeds together. 00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:42.519 Yeah. Yeah. So anything like when you think about 00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:44.480 prayer, are there any moments that you're like 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:47.319 this prayer felt like really helpful or really 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:50.140 comforting or brought a lot of joy into my life? 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:54.619 Yeah. What? What has been the blessing of prayer, 00:26:54.740 --> 00:26:57.700 I guess, for you? I will say that in times when 00:26:57.700 --> 00:26:59.960 I've really struggled emotionally, and it has 00:26:59.960 --> 00:27:02.039 had more of a personal, like whether it's in 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:05.819 a relationship or something, those deep prayers 00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:08.460 and those moments, which are very different from 00:27:08.460 --> 00:27:11.559 the sort of more regular prayers you pray, God 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:15.099 has two things happen. One is the space of surrender. 00:27:15.619 --> 00:27:18.460 There's a genuine sense that this is in your 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:23.299 hands. But the receiving, aspect of that is that 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:26.259 place of peace where God has said, okay, I've 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:30.460 got this, you know, and, um, and you have both. 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:32.960 And those are those times that you really deepen 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:36.259 your trust that God's got you. Sure. Um, that 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:39.420 just in his hands, that among the mess, sometimes, 00:27:39.579 --> 00:27:41.460 sometimes of your own creating, sometimes you've 00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:42.960 contributed, sometimes you're just receiving 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:46.839 it. Um, there is that place where he is listening 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:51.680 and he. is there and he can be trusted with what 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:54.619 you've given to him and released and so that 00:27:54.619 --> 00:27:56.900 place of surrender has been really important 00:27:56.900 --> 00:28:01.160 for me to be to have an ongoing walk with jesus 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:05.119 because he's been so faithful in those moments 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:11.539 yeah yeah for sure yeah for other folks Prayer 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:15.920 has helped me to stay connected to God by strengthening 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:21.440 my faith and my relationship with God. It helps 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:25.960 me to meditate more, deepen my faith, intercede 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:31.559 for others. Prayer helps me as a spiritual, mental, 00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:35.019 and emotional tool that connects me to higher 00:28:35.019 --> 00:28:43.410 power. me to the presence of God where I get 00:28:43.410 --> 00:28:49.670 peaceful feelings, you know, and encouragement, 00:28:49.789 --> 00:28:55.210 you know, in time of maybe despair or any stress 00:28:55.210 --> 00:29:00.849 going on. Like, after pouring my heart to God, 00:29:00.950 --> 00:29:07.769 during stress, uncertainty, or grief, so it's... 00:29:08.329 --> 00:29:14.130 still bring me back to a peaceful presence of 00:29:14.130 --> 00:29:19.430 God, you know, where I can find peace. Even three 00:29:19.430 --> 00:29:24.089 years ago, within five months apart, I lost my 00:29:24.089 --> 00:29:28.509 senior brother and my senior sister. So it was 00:29:28.509 --> 00:29:35.619 the Bible versus prayer and then... Other people 00:29:35.619 --> 00:29:39.160 praying for me. The Stephen ministry that I'm 00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:44.279 involved, they were praying for me. And members 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:47.259 of my family, too, they were praying. We all 00:29:47.259 --> 00:29:51.880 gather. We connect on WhatsApp. We pray for each 00:29:51.880 --> 00:29:55.980 other. We empower each other. So prayer has been 00:29:55.980 --> 00:30:00.880 a tool. I'll call my faith. For sure. For sure. 00:30:00.980 --> 00:30:03.799 Yeah, that's beautiful. I think both of you sharing 00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:05.720 like, yeah, just in those really hard times, 00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:10.799 God meets us there. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, 00:30:10.819 --> 00:30:14.559 it's I don't think of necessarily comfort and 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:17.299 joy when I think of praying. Maybe because, again, 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:19.720 I'm not even a year into my Christian journey, 00:30:19.819 --> 00:30:23.190 but. You know, it's not like a miserable thing 00:30:23.190 --> 00:30:24.869 either. You know what I mean? It's not like, 00:30:24.950 --> 00:30:28.309 oh, I got to pray. No, it's like, you know, I, 00:30:28.369 --> 00:30:31.849 you know, I just, you know, try to pray and try 00:30:31.849 --> 00:30:34.390 to like, I think for me, it's just always remembering 00:30:34.390 --> 00:30:38.890 to try to, to, you know, praise God or so every 00:30:38.890 --> 00:30:41.990 day, you know, try to remember him. Because I 00:30:41.990 --> 00:30:44.210 feel like a lot of the times people in today's 00:30:44.210 --> 00:30:46.569 society, I feel like even in North America, it's 00:30:46.569 --> 00:30:50.140 like, you know. they it's not that they don't 00:30:50.140 --> 00:30:53.460 believe in god they just choose to not incorporate 00:30:53.460 --> 00:30:57.160 god in their life sure yeah yeah so maybe being 00:30:57.160 --> 00:31:00.279 intentional about it is important yeah so on 00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:02.420 that note as we are walking through this this 00:31:02.420 --> 00:31:04.259 is the way journey and we're encouraging people 00:31:04.259 --> 00:31:06.940 to think about how to practice these different 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:10.519 things so how to practice prayer so uh some practical 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:12.359 tips like things we've mentioned so far so this 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:14.980 model of act adoration, confession, thanksgiving, 00:31:15.160 --> 00:31:18.400 supplication. I really love the different examples 00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:20.299 that you brought up, Elizabeth, from scripture, 00:31:20.500 --> 00:31:22.539 and then also sort of complementing that with 00:31:22.539 --> 00:31:25.400 the Book of Common Prayer or with other prayers 00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:29.140 that folks have written. Yeah, any other sort 00:31:29.140 --> 00:31:31.779 of practical tips that you would want to end 00:31:31.779 --> 00:31:36.299 us with? I would say begin small. Sure. Just 00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:40.240 those, you know, simple addressing God, bringing 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:44.789 your concerns to Him, because If you're finding 00:31:44.789 --> 00:31:48.549 prayer hard over time, recognizing he's there 00:31:48.549 --> 00:31:52.250 in those small moments, you'll find it more easier. 00:31:52.309 --> 00:31:55.589 So be patient with the process. You'll find it 00:31:55.589 --> 00:32:00.349 easier to just consistently bring your prayer 00:32:00.349 --> 00:32:04.730 to God. Yeah. And the other thing I would say 00:32:04.730 --> 00:32:06.990 is that sometimes prayer is an expression of 00:32:06.990 --> 00:32:09.329 faith, but sometimes it's an act of faith. Like, 00:32:09.450 --> 00:32:13.259 you know, you may not feel. peaceful at the end 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:15.920 of it it may be a struggle to do go five minutes 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:18.880 of prayer even and at the same time you know 00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:24.599 knowing that that is itself a step towards um 00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:30.339 intentionally um addressing god as present is 00:32:30.339 --> 00:32:33.480 um it'll get easier yeah for sure i definitely 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:35.880 agree with like keeping it simple at least for 00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:38.759 at first you know i think it's just making sure 00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:42.529 like There's so many things we need to make time 00:32:42.529 --> 00:32:46.809 for in our lives. So just make time to even say 00:32:46.809 --> 00:32:49.490 something simple. Like I try to say once a day, 00:32:49.549 --> 00:32:52.289 you know, thank you, God, for another day of 00:32:52.289 --> 00:32:55.970 life. You know, it's simple. Yeah. And it's prayer, 00:32:56.750 --> 00:33:00.009 you know. And then I'd also say, you know, sometimes 00:33:00.009 --> 00:33:02.710 maybe if you're not comfortable with it, you 00:33:02.710 --> 00:33:06.089 know, you know, pray at night in in your room 00:33:06.089 --> 00:33:09.500 in bed, like which is what Jesus said. in the 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:12.980 Sermon on the Mount, you know, or on a walk or 00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:15.539 when you're driving to work, you know, turn off 00:33:15.539 --> 00:33:18.079 the radio and just start, you know, you know, 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:21.039 just stuff like that. And then I think, again, 00:33:21.140 --> 00:33:25.460 the big thing is whenever you pray, actually 00:33:25.460 --> 00:33:29.000 mean it. Sure. Don't just pray to pray. Sure. 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:31.900 I actually mean it. Yeah, yeah. Just take that 00:33:31.900 --> 00:33:34.339 time to get connected with your heart and your 00:33:34.339 --> 00:33:36.819 emotions in that moment and honesty with God. 00:33:37.059 --> 00:33:39.299 Even if we're reading someone else's prayers, 00:33:39.380 --> 00:33:42.400 just to think about, okay, how does this ground 00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:47.059 me right now? Yeah. And be honest about, like, 00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:49.359 I think sometimes people find it hard to pray 00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:51.680 when they think they have to pray in a certain 00:33:51.680 --> 00:33:54.099 way. And I'm going to say, just be honest, honest 00:33:54.099 --> 00:33:56.079 about your daily struggles, honest about what 00:33:56.079 --> 00:34:00.230 you need, honest about. you know, anything to 00:34:00.230 --> 00:34:03.069 recognize that God wants that relationship with 00:34:03.069 --> 00:34:07.890 you and in wherever you are. And so that honesty 00:34:07.890 --> 00:34:12.599 can allow for a space to begin to. Let God work 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:15.880 where you are. For sure. For sure. Yeah. Thank 00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:18.639 you so much, folks. This has been a really rich 00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:21.920 conversation to dive into what does prayer mean? 00:34:22.460 --> 00:34:25.360 How does it work in our lives? And for those 00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:28.360 who are watching or listening, I hope that you 00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:30.199 have been able to find some helpful tips for 00:34:30.199 --> 00:34:33.019 prayer. If you want to join us on this journey, 00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:35.500 you can go to trinitystreetsville .org slash 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:38.639 this is the way to find some more resources about 00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:41.139 prayer and all of these spiritual practices. 00:34:41.159 --> 00:34:42.840 that we're gonna cover together over the next 00:34:42.840 --> 00:34:45.139 few weeks. And we will see you again next week.