When I read these words about prayer today, they made me think of a wonderful children’s book called, Can I Pray with My Eyes Open? by Susan Taylor Brown.
This book is all about a young girl wondering about prayer. She begins by saying, “I wondered how and when and where was the perfect way to say a prayer.” And then she goes on to wonder, “Must every prayer be one that’s spoken? And can I pray with my eyes open?” She thinks about all kinds of places and situations and wonders if they are places and times where she can pray. Finally at the end of the book she says,
“I thought it over through and through. Then I shared my thoughts with You. I got an answer right away. . . there’s no wrong time or place to pray.”
Even as adults I think we sometimes feel like that little girl. We worry that we don’t know how to pray – that we aren’t doing it right or saying the right things. One of the things that I love about this scripture today is that it says to pray with all kinds of prayers. There is no one “right” way to pray. Prayer is communication with God – and each of us will have our own way of communicating with God. Let the Spirit help you and then – like the little girl in the book – just share your thoughts with God.
You can share your sorrows and your joys, your hopes and your fears, your dreams and your disappointments. You can ask for what you need and give thanks for what you have been given. You can pray for yourself, for others, for the world. You can close your eyes and listen – because this is part of prayer too.
Wherever you are, and whatever you want to say, it is always a good time to pray!
First Baptist Church of St. Paul 
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