I long to pray to the One who, because He knows me, teaches me about myself

"Prayer invites self-reflection and demands wakefulness." 

-R. Marie Griffith, God's Daughters: Evangelical Women and the Power of Submission, pg. 1


Through prayer, I attempt to express myself to God.

I lack ability.

I can't speak the right language; I can't put how I feel into words. Beautifully, though, God understands me no matter what words I pray.  And He understands the words I never pray.  

So why pray when God already understands what I'm feeling?  I pray to show my devotion and gratitude to God, of course--but why try to express myself to God and why ask Him for things when He already knows what I need?

Because prayer isn't about asking God to understand me (He already understands before I ask!!).  Rather, prayer moves me to a place where I can understand parts of myself that I can't possibly "get" until I attempt to commune with God.

God already knows my heart, but I don't really know my heart until I look to my Father.  Prayer gives me the opportunity to learn about what's going on in there.  In my attempt to articulate how I feel, I begin to learn the meaning of the things I experience, the things I do, the things I want.  I begin, in a small way, to understand my soul.  And I've found that as I begin to understand myself, I begin to honor my need to commune and connect with Deity.  I begin to understand what it means to be "home."

I long to exercise my voice.  I long to hear and express and understand myself. I long to pray to the One who, because He knows me, teaches me about myself.