I wonder what you make of prayer. For years I related to Dai:

Dai was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place. Looking up toward heaven, he said, "Lord, please take pity. If you find me a parking place I will go to chapel every Sunday for the rest of the year and give up boozing with my mates." Suddenly a parking place appeared. Dai looked up again and said, "Never mind. I found one."

Perhaps you have a different handle on prayer but for many it is often a cry of desperation, the last resort … if nothing else works try prayer! It reminds me of the High School student who after leaving the examination prayed, ‘Lord please make Oslo the Capital of Sweden!’

What is prayer? I am sure there are many correct answers but I found Bishop Ashton Oldham’s comments most helpful.

'Prayer does not consist in battering the walls of heaven for personal benefit or the success of our plans. Rather, it is the committing of ourselves to carrying out God's purposes. It is a telephone call to headquarters for orders. It's not bending God's will to ours, but our will to His. In prayer we tap reservoirs of spiritual power whereby God can find fuller entrance into the hearts of men.'

Isn’t that an interesting approach to prayer? So often my prayers can be so ‘me’ centred … Lord can you do this, that and the other! Of course there is nothing wrong in asking God for things. Our Lord when asked by his disciples to teach them to pray, taught … ‘Give us today our daily bread’ However when you look at the prayer which has become known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ it is interesting to see that Jesus doesn’t start with our needs; he starts with worship.

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honoured. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.

Prayer means a huge amount to me for all manner of reasons, but a key element is the daily discipline of placing God where he rightfully belongs and reminding me who and what I need to worship.