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"Lord, teach us to pray..." (Luke 11:1)

Good morning, friends!

Many of you will probably get a good laugh out of this but I have a confession to make:

Skype and I are not friends.

For a long time I avoided Skype because, quite frankly, I hate having a camera shoved in my face.  I hate being photographed, videoed, or interviewed for anything. I don't want to know what I look like talking to others.  And no matter how hard I try, I can't keep myself from looking down at that video box while I am talking to friends.  I feel very self-conscious.

Living in a different continent from my family and friends however has at the very least made me more willing to try.  I am always amazed that I am in my living room, talking to family and friends in the U.S., and we can carry on a conversation with someone thousands of miles away like we are talking face to face.

That is, as long as the connection is good.

Then there are the times when things stutter and crawl, the picture gets fuzzy, the dialogue overlaps, and communication is next to impossible. The only thing left to do is "hang up," and call again later.

Sometimes, when I pray to God, I feel just like I do with a Skype call.

I know that I should pray.  I know that God desires to see my face.  I know what I want to say and what needs to be said.  I know that He delights in the sharing of my burdens with him.  There are also times when I feel like the connection is so bad between the Lord and I, that I just want to "hang up and try again later."

Why do I not pray as I should?  The Bible has so many wonderful promises related to prayer:

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3)

"Yet have not, because ye ask not..." (James 4:2)

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

"Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Luke 7:7)

The only thing that keeps me from praying to God is myself.

Just like I don't like my appearance during a Skype call, many times I don't like my appearance before God.  I feel self-conscious just because I do not come humbly, as a child to a loving Father, and realize that I need to ask for His help.

I have learned to appreciate Skype.  I love seeing my family and friends, share a cup of coffee with someone thousands of miles away, take the laptop to the bed and pour out my heart in tears to loved ones.  I find myself looking less at the box in the corner and more at the face in front of me. And the more time I spend on Skype, the more comfortable I am in front of it.

When I pray, may the Lord find me more and more comfortable in His presence.  May I look at myself less, and more at Him and all His wonderful grace.

Time for some "face" time...