Trinity Lutheran Church of Pleasant Valley
A congregation of the ELCA

Prayer, in many ways, is simply talking with God. Like any conversation, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end.

• The beginning: Conversations usually begins with some form of "Hi, Jane". Christian prayers may begin with "Our Father" or "O Lord our God" or "Hey Big 'G'" or some other form of greeting like that. Make it clear you're addressing God from the start.

• The middle: All the things you want to talk about. We'll come back to this in a moment.

• The end: At the end of conversations, you generally say goodbye. Christian prayer usually ends with the word "Amen". Amen is an ancient Greek word that simply means "This is true." More simply, you can think of it as saying "Yes". Yes, we shared truth today. That's makes "Amen" a big word, doesn't it? But that's also the beauty of prayer: when talking to God, we're completely free to share truth, trusting God with everything.

• The longer end: Sometimes Christians end their prayer with a phrase like "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." In this instance, the prayer ends by claiming what we've said is in line with what Christ told us to pray about, and that Christ stands for us. That's a big claim, but a promise Jesus made to each Christian in baptism. Other long endings might be a way of offering God thanks and praise for listening, just like you might thank someone at the end of a normal conversation.

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But how do you talk to God? What do you say in all that middle part? Jesus was fond of calling God by the name "Father", and thinking of a parent-child relationship might be a good place to start. If you didn't have a good parent-child relationship, think of a mentor or role model. What things to children come to their parents to talk about? What might we look to mentors or role models for?

• Aid: Asking for help when there's a problem

• Praise: Saying thank you

• Confession: Saying you're sorry (especially after you're caught)

• Guidance: Help deciding what to do

• Love: Sharing the events of your day

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Most people generally use prayer just when they need help, but as you can see: You really could talk to God about anything your heart desires honestly.