Article May 3, 1999 Issue

Everyone knows how to pray. It's like singing!

By James Scott Rosebush

"Light the Nation with Prayer" is the theme of this year's National Day of Prayer, May 6. National Day of Prayer has been recognized in the United States since 1952, when it was established by Congress as an annual event. Prayer plays a central role in every issue of this magazine, and we join the nation in celebrating this day.

Our Whole Family gathered in the kitchen one Saturday morning recently to hear our youngest teenager report the details of her girlfriend's "sleepover" the night before. As she recounted it, after the pizza had been delivered, and all the girls were digging in, her friend Jessica turned to her and quietly, sincerely began asking her about her understanding of God. Jessica explained that, like so many teenagers today, she was part of a family that rarely went to church, and that she didn't know much about the Bible. Now, somehow, without anyone prompting her, she felt she wanted to become acquainted with God. She thought our daughter might be just the kind of friend who could start her on her search.

After several minutes of intently listening to our daughter tell about feeling close to God and her dependence on Him for guidance, comfort, and healing, Jessica blurted out, with a little frustration, "Oh, I wish I could feel that way, but I don't even know how to pray!" Our daughter's instinctive but somewhat surprising answer to Jessica's honest plea to learn about prayer was, "Oh, don't worry about that. Everyone knows how to pray. It's like singing!"

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