Cricket Prayers

Do you hear that sound? I’m talking about the sound that you can’t really describe. It’s the sound of SILENCE. You know, like at youth group when Mrs. Susan asks, “Is there anyone who feels led to pray?” The best kept secret (until now) for adult youth leaders to get youth to be quiet is to simply ask, “Who wants to pray?” Saying a prayer out loud (or even to yourself) can feel like a very scary and difficult thing to do, but I’m here to tell you otherwise. If you follow these two steps, you’ll always pray the best prayer you ever prayed.

Step 1 – Before praying, make sure you understand that you have no idea what to say. If you’re still reading, you’re probably thinking; “You’re crazy, Jacob!” That may be true but hear me out. Romans 8:26 tells us, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Whenever I start to pray; I tell God that I have no idea what to say, but that’s when the Holy Spirit takes over. I trust in the Holy Spirit and I’m willing to let it provide all of the right words (or groans) to perfectly articulate what I’m feeling at that very moment.

Step 2 – Pray like a cricket. When you’re outside around sunset in the summertime, you’ll hear crickets chirping in the background. It doesn’t matter what’s going on outside, those crickets will chirp all night long. Then, they will get up the next day and chirp some more. Praying is a lot like this! We don’t need to worry about what is going on around us. Life can be hard, but we need to be willing to pray…and find the time to do it every day.

Remember that a prayer is just a simple conversation between you and God. God doesn’t want us to be afraid to talk to Him. He is always there and always listening. Embrace the inevitable moment of silence and chirp…I mean pray!

-Jacob

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