"I Trust You" Prayer

 

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:7-8 NRSVue -- Jesus of Nazareth

Last evening I watched a short video that popped up in a social media featuring an aging woman I'd never heard of before. She was observing that she's spent a lifetime praying, often lengthy and earnest. In recent years she's realized that she's been telling God things she/he/they already knows, so why go into such detail? In this season of her life a three word prayer has become her go-to, "I trust you." The wisdom of this simple prayer really hit home.

This morning I cycled to visit two elderly people son Isaac asked me to see just once when he was away for few days because they are in Belleville hospital. I've continued to drop by over the past month or so because they're nearby, their stays have been extended, and I just like both of them. One is struggling with health complications, the other is on the way to a new home in another city nearer family. I shared the "I trust you" prayer with them and they both really like it. I began our concluding prayers with the words "we trust you" although I added some condiments particular to their situations.

As I was leaving I encountered the lovely midlife daughter of one of these persons who drives an hour each way to support her parent. I could tell she feels the weight of doing the right things in her role and so I shared this little prayer with her -- what did I have to lose? Her face lit up and she said "is that enough?" She commented that on her drive she prays but isn't always sure what to ask for or express. I told her that this prayer works for me and she said that she's going to start using it. 

We do make prayer complicated at times, or even give up praying because we are tongue-tied or weary or feel that we aren't being heard. We can certainly chose to offer more, but when we're tangled in life's weeds, a simple expression of trust may be sufficient. We have a lot of challenging circumstances in our lives at the moment so "I trust you" is going to get a regular workout.