Never underestimate the two P's.

Something amazing happened to me last night, and I am going to share it with you lovely people because I honestly can't think of any other way to really stress this point without a story. It's not necessarily a pretty story, but it has a happy ending in my opinion.

Last night, I felt like poop. I mean, I didn't literally feel like poop, because then I'd be brown and squishy and that's just not pleasant, but I felt awful. I'm not going to say why, but it was full on heartbreak. Most of the time, when something like that happens to me, I cry a few tears and then hold it all in and move on. But this...was different. It was the pain of finality. The pain of an ending of a chapter of my life.

Now, I am all for moving forward with life (I mean, you can't really go backwards, so you don't have much of a choice) but that doesn't mean that there isn't pain. I'm talking doubled over, sobbing, nose running, absolutely nasty, on the floor type of deal. Needless to say, it wasn't my best moment. I just wanted it all to go away.

So I prayed. I begged God to help me and to ease the pain, and He did. He gave me a way out of the pain, and I took it. Now, the pain isn't completely gone. But He gave me a resolution to something I've been struggling with for a very very long time.

The point is: Prayer works. I know you've heard this probably so many times, it's now annoying to you, but still. I went from ugly, nasty, on the floor crying to standing up, head high, and smiling. It all happened with a prayer. This prayer wasn't special or eloquently worded. It was me just talking to God, leaning on Him like I refuse to lean on anyone else. And you know what? It felt good.

There is no rhyme or script to prayer. There are no mandatory phrases or formalities. Prayer is a conversation with God, and it doesn't have to be any different with Him than with anyone else you talk to. God knows your tone. He knows how you speak. There's no sense in scripting up the "perfect prayer" so that you think God will listen.

When it comes to prayer, anything goes. Prayer is between you and God. Nobody else. There is even a verse in the Bible that advocates praying in private, so that your relationship with God remains just that: your own. Matthew 6:6.

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." [NIV]

You don't have to pray in public. You don't have to pray out loud. You don't have to say the same prayer request over and over again so that you'll seem like a good person. "Lord, please be with the sick. Being sick isn't good." So, that's obviously not a very good example, but it's one all the same. Prayer is personal. If you don't mean it, don't even bother saying it, because God knows what you truly mean and what you don't. I'm not saying that you shouldn't pray for the sick or the hungry or the homeless, but only do it if you mean it. Don't let your prayers become scripted.

Pray with your heart, people. That's what God wants to hear. He already knows it, but that doesn't mean that He doesn't like hearing what's in your heart in your own words.

Prayer works, and it's between you and your Daddy (Or Mommy, since God is above genders). Prayer is personal, and God hears you. It doesn't have to sound pretty. You just have to mean it. Never underestimate the two P's: The Power of Prayer. Everybody has a story about when their prayers come true. What's your's?

Think about it. Be grateful for it. Rejoice in it. But most of all, make sure you mean it.