Sometimes prayer has no words at all

​I think the idea of prayer can be misunderstood. We can start to think prayer has a right way with right words and a right purpose.

We can come to believe prayer is what we use to call on God to do what only God can do, when I think sometimes prayer is a way to let God remind us of all the things he truly believes that we can do.

The bible tells us that Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness and to mountain tops and to lonely places to pray. The bible doesn't tell us much about HOW he prayed when he got to these places, or what he said, or even exactly why he was praying.

We simply know that often, prayer and quiet places went hand in hand with Jesus.

God designed a brain for us that doesn't function well when we worry. The brain interprets worry as a threat. And threat backs the brain into a corner where it wants to fight or hide or run.

In moments of worry, the brain shuts off contact with the higher level parts of the brain that can logically and rationally plot a way forward. The part of the brain that can be strategic. That's because the brain wants us to conserve all its energy for protecting us against the threat.

The reality is, though, many of the things we worry about aren't really threats to our well-being, even if our worrying has thoroughly convinced us they are. And because worrying essentially denies us access to the part of the brain that could logically convince us otherwise - we get trapped in our worries.

Being trapped in our worries prevents us from moving forward. Additionally, research shows us that living in a constant state of worry is a constant threat to our overall health.

When Jesus would go off to be alone - it was often at times when he was bearing the weight of the worries of large crowds of people. So I wonder, when Jesus slipped away to lonely places, was it because he thought God would hear him better there, or because he thought he'd feel the quieting and soothing presence of God better there?

Because sometimes that is prayer. Quietly feeling the presence of God. Sometimes it's not words. Sometimes it's not kneel or stand. Sometimes it's not folded hands or bowed heads. Sometimes it's not a request for forgiveness or a miracle.

Sometimes it's just quiet.

Sometimes it's just quieting the noise of worry to hear the voice of reason.

Our voice.

God gave us our own voices and reasoning for a reason. Over and over in the bible God cautions us against worrying. I think that's not only because worrying distances us from God - it's because it also distances us from ourselves.

I love to escape to the woods and to mountain tops and to waterfalls to quiet my mind - to pray. Not to find answers to life but to feel the answers that are already in me. Answers unavailable to me when I'm flooded with the voices of worry.

To remind myself that life is not the threat my worries want me to believe it is.

Not every prayer has to start with 'our Father' and end with 'in Jesus name we pray'.

Some can start and end with silence. And maybe - maybe most of them should.

If you feel and hear the voices of worry today, find a quiet place to pray. Don't worry about a script - or a proper way - simply seek the quiet.

God already knows your worries. He already knows why you're there. And he is just fine with sitting there with you. On the mountain top. Helping you find a soothing voice.

Just don't be surprised, that voice may very well turn out to be your own.