Over the Easter weekend, my children and I spent several hours watching home movies that I had converted to a digital format. In a word? Priceless! What fun we had! Revisiting the past and seeing them as babies and toddlers just warmed my heart.

As I strolled down memory lane and witnessed the minutes after my son’s birth, I was reminded of a major hiccup I experienced. While I was pregnant with him, I also had what’s called a heterotopic pregnancy. In medical terms I had both an intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancy at the same time.

This extremely rare and dangerous situation resulted in emergency surgery to prevent the tube from bursting, saving my life and that of my son. As I laid on the gurney waiting to go into the operating room, I cried out to God. 

“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!” (Jonah 2:2 NLT)

I begged Him from the core of my being to “work His magic.” I tried to physically and mentally will that little egg to move. I visualized it making its way to its rightful place, next to my son. Of course, that did not happen. 

The surgery was successful and my son was born months later.

“Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” (Psalm 50:15 NLT)

Growing up with organized religion, I was required to memorize a host of prayers that I would recite day after day in school, like a robot. These prayers meant nothing to me other than if I didn’t say them properly, I’d get a bad grade. My motivation in learning them was to get an “A,” not to get answers or talk with God.

Back then, I was simply fulfilling my spiritual to do list, checking off the “I said my prayers today” box so that God would give me a good grade. Even in my adult life, I spouted off prayers at dinner time or in the evening before sleep that were nothing more than ritualistic.

“Bless this food.”
“Bless my Mom and Dad.”
“Bless this or that.”

Yawn…

I did this out of ignorance of the power of prayer. I did this because I didn’t know that prayer is not a monologue, but rather a two-way conversation. I talk, He listens. He talks, I listen. 

To be clear, whatever kind of prayer you offer up, God hears you. But what I’m learning is that prayers that come from your heart, filled with passion and fervor are the ones He really pays attention to. He’s not looking for rinse and repeat prayers, but rather those that are authentic.

Look at the prayers of David in the book of Psalms. Look at the cries of Jonah from the belly of the fish. Look at the laments of Jesus in the garden before His crucifixion. See the difference?

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:5-8 NKJV, emphasis mine)

As I awaited surgery some two plus decades ago to save my life, I was not rinsing

 and repeating the prayers of my childhood. I was not spouting off “vain repetitions” as it says in Matthew above.

I was begging God for my life and the life of my son. I was praying from my heart, desperate for a answer. And I got one – my beautiful son.

Today I want to encourage you to have a heart to heart with God. Tell Him how you’re really feeling. If you’re feeling less than stellar, tell Him. If you’re overjoyed with gratitude, tell Him. If you don’t know what to pray, tell Him that too. 

He’s waiting to hear from His kids, like any loving Father would be. 

When you turn to God, and pray in His Son’s name, He will hear you and answer you.