Prayer

We discussed prayer during the men's bible study I'm part of. A major point of discussion was the feeling of futility we all had with prayer. We all want the desire to pray, but feel like it has been too long since we felt like God anwered our prayers. We feel impatient that God is taking so long to answer our prayers. Maybe this is a result of our fast paced lives. God promises to finish the work begun in us, He doesn't say He'll have it done by next week, but that He will finish the work. In todays fast paced culture I think we are forgetting how to be patient and persistant. Sure we may be patient by today's standards, but in the grand scheme of things we are probably the least patient society ever. Our society screams for convenience; I want it now, close and cheap. I'm not sure God ever intended us to run at so fast a pace. He worked six days and on the seventh day rested. Today we get frustrated with the businesses that aren't open on Sundays and 24 hours isn't uncommon. His year is marked by the gentle progression of the seasons. Ours is so broken up into quarters and semesters that are again divided up by countless deadelines that we never stop running to be ready for the next step. Maybe God intended us to slow down and be happy with where we are, looking forward to and mindful of the coming times, but not counting down the days, not scheduling our time away until every waking second is filled with to-do lists.
While the others were talking about their prayer lives I was struck by the language they were using to describe prayer. I pray this and this and this, or what is the right formula to use for prayer. I kept thinking that we are missing the point. Prayer is described as talking with God, spending time with Him. We don't sit down to talk with friends and go through the same patterns again and again. Conversation at its best is an organic unscripted outpouring of the heart. You share what you're thankful for when you're thankful, you share sorrows when sorrowful and so on. You share your life as it happens. Shouldn't prayer be something like that. When God blesses you turn to Him and thank Him. When you are frustrated or worried or need help share that with Him. At the same time we need to be purposefully finding things to be thankful for lest we lose sight of the boundless gifts He has bestowed on us and lose ourselves to the faults we find in the way the world works. I believe that is the intention behind many of the formulaic prayers, to make sure we give thanks and not just ask for stuff as if God was just a genie or some cosmic magic eight ball. I guess what I'm trying to say is that prayer with God should be just like a conversation with a friend. We shouldn't need fancy language or perfect wording to be with Him, just to pour our hearts out to Him and be ready for Him to pour his heart back into us.
Anyway I need to get to bed.