At a family gathering for Thanksgiving Dinner little Bobbie, aged seven, was asked to say the prayer. He thanked God for every person gathered around the table naming them one by one. He thanked God for the potatoes, the beans, the gravy, the turkey, the cranberry sauce, the seasoning … on and on he went. The family thought he would never finish. Suddenly he stopped and whispered to his mother, “If I thank God for the broccoli, do you think he will know that I am lying?”

I’m sure God was amused at this child’s child-like faith. But as adults God wants us to be honest in our praying. We may as well be honest because God hears what our heart is saying regardless of what our words say.

One of the major keys to effective praying is to put into words what my heart is saying—what I am truly feeling inside. That’s the kind of praying that God honors—and answers! He may not grant what we want but he will hear and answer in the way that is best for us.

As David also wrote, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be honest with myself and with You, and express to You what my heart is saying, what I am truly feeling inside, regardless of what it is. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. King David (Psalm 51:6, TLB).
2. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).