E67 Most Christians Were Never Taught to Pray Effectively—Here's Why It Matters

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How does the host introduce the problem of ineffective prayer?

Jennifer Cudmore 0:00
You probably think that you already know how to pray, but I am going to push back on that a little bit today. What if there's actually more to prayer than what you've been taught? The sad reality that I've seen is that there are a lot of Christians who have no idea how to hear from God, let alone talk to him in a way that prompts an immediate answer. When was the last time that you had a back and forth conversation with God? Or did you even know that was possible. I know a lot of you like me, you got saved as a child, you grew up in church. It wasn't until I was actually halfway through my 30s that I realized it is possible to hear God speak almost every day. At this stage of my life, God talks to me several times a week.
Jennifer Cudmore 0:41
And it's because I have really learned how to cultivate a deep prayer life. That's what I want to discuss today. So come with me, let's talk about how to speak with God in a way that leads to to real results. Here we go. Hey friends, come take a look below the surface with me. Listen, God never meant for us to live in the shallows. Let's take a peek into the depths of who God is and who he designed us to be. I'm Jennifer Cudmore, your expedition host, here to guide the conversation as we dive into who we are and break free of who we've been. Let's explore beneath the surface of our hearts and emotions. Let's examine the way we think and speak, how we relate to others, and why we behave in certain ways.
Jennifer Cudmore 1:26
Tune in weekly for fresh perspectives and rich reflection to activate a life of meaning and purpose that can only be discovered in the depths. Welcome back to the show. This is where we go below the surface. And today we're talking about prayer. If you are a believer, I want to know, I'm curious, where did you learn how to pray? How were you shown how to do this? Did somebody pull you aside and say, Hey, Did you maybe take a class or a course? Pretty much what I've heard is that that's a no. Most of us as followers of Jesus didn't have somebody come alongside us and teach us what it means to pray and what that looks like. I know a few believers might have a person that comes to mind and they say, oh yeah, that person, they modeled it.
Jennifer Cudmore 2:17
I got to witness how they did it and I learned how to do it from them. That was the case for me. My mom prayed a lot. And of course you hear pastors and teachers in church do it. So it is modeled. It's not like we are never shown, but I'm talking about like intentional teaching. Was that something that you were able to get? I was not. majority of believers don't get any kind of formal training. And so why am I bringing this up? Surprisingly, I have noticed that a lot of followers of Jesus actually don't think they need teaching around the topic of prayer. They think they have it all figured out. It's just simply talking to God, right? I mean, yeah, it can be that simple for sure. And that is certainly a perspective that I had for a few decades.
Jennifer Cudmore 3:03
Like this really isn't too big of a deal. I didn't think there was a whole lot to it. And I ended up realizing over time that I was totally wrong. And after being a Christian for 30 years, it, I was finally able to admit that I actually really didn't know what I was doing. And there were some things I could do a little bit differently to make a bigger impact. So what do I mean? What I have discovered over the past several years as I've studied the topic of prayer is that most churches don't have an actual intentional structured program around teaching new believers or any of their followers how to pray. Nobody's talking to them about why prayer is important or how to develop this aspect in their life.
Jennifer Cudmore 3:50
Nobody is teaching them how to practice hearing God's voice. And I'm not badmouthing churches. So hear me out. I'm just saying there's a gap here. Like we're missing something.

Why do most Christians report they were never formally taught to pray?

Jennifer Cudmore 3:59
Okay. I'm just sharing the reality of where we're at. And it really bothers me. And I want to do something about it. That's why I'm here. So in my own personal journey, I have come to realize there are actually a lot of aspects of prayer.

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More from INTO THE DEPTHS: Intimacy with God/ Real Life Faith/ How to Pray/Renew your mind/Identity in Christ