Latest / In His Circle / Seedlings: What If I Don't Know How to Pray: Discovering That Prayer Is a Conversation, Not a Performance | Ep 35

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Seedlings: What If I Don't Know How to Pray: Discovering That Prayer Is a Conversation, Not a Performance | Ep 35 · In His Circle

• 0:00
  Tiffany Windsor: Welcome to In His Circle Seedlings, where we take a few minutes to plant one small seed of faith that just might grow into something beautiful.
• 0:10
  Tiffany Windsor: I'm Tiffany Windsor and I am so glad you're here.
• 0:13
  Tiffany Windsor: What if I don't know how to pray?
• 0:17
  Tiffany Windsor: Can I tell you something that makes me laugh now, but definitely wasn't funny at the time?
• 0:23
  Tiffany Windsor: When I first became a Christian, I was absolutely convinced there had to be a secret club.
• 0:29
  Tiffany Windsor: You know, the people who already knew everything.
• 0:33
  Tiffany Windsor: They knew where every book of the Bible was, they could quote scripture without even opening the Bible, and someone would say, Turn to Habakkuk.
• 0:43
  Tiffany Windsor: And before I had even figured out how to spell H A B A K K U K, they were already reading.
• 0:50
  Tiffany Windsor: Meanwhile, I was over there frantically flipping pages, quietly praying.
• 0:55
  Tiffany Windsor: Please let this be somewhere near Hebrews.
• 0:58
  Tiffany Windsor: Spoiler alert, it wasn't.
• 1:00
  Tiffany Windsor: I honestly thought everyone else had received a handbook that somehow got lost in my mail.
• 1:06
  Tiffany Windsor: Congratulations on becoming a Christian.
• 1:08
  Tiffany Windsor: Here's how to find Zephaniah in under three seconds.
• 1:12
  Tiffany Windsor: Mine apparently never arrived.
• 1:14
  Tiffany Windsor: And if finding books of the Bible wasn't intimidating enough, then came prayer.
• 1:20
  Tiffany Windsor: Oh my goodness, listening to some people pray was like listening to poetry.
• 1:25
  Tiffany Windsor: Beautiful words, perfect scripture, elegant sentences.
• 1:30
  Tiffany Windsor: Meanwhile, I'd be sitting there thinking, well, there goes my turn, because in my head I thought, what if I say something wrong?
• 1:37
  Tiffany Windsor: What if I don't sound spiritual enough?
• 1:40
  Tiffany Windsor: What if God is listening and thinks, bless her heart?
• 1:44
  Tiffany Windsor: Looking back, I wish I could hug that younger version of myself that honestly wasn't that long ago.
• 1:51
  Tiffany Windsor: Because she was working so hard to impress the very God who already loved her.
• 1:56
  Tiffany Windsor: I remember going to a Bible study several times with a family member.
• 2:00
  Tiffany Windsor: The people were kind, they welcomed me, and I'm so grateful for that.
• 2:05
  Tiffany Windsor: But if I'm honest, I left feeling like maybe I just didn't belong.
• 2:10
  Tiffany Windsor: The room felt quiet, almost formal.
• 2:14
  Tiffany Windsor: The conversations didn't really draw me in.
• 2:17
  Tiffany Windsor: Instead of leaving excited to know God better, I left wondering if maybe everyone else understood something I didn't.
• 2:25
  Tiffany Windsor: Have you ever felt like that?
• 2:27
  Tiffany Windsor: Like everyone else got that instruction manual.
• 2:31
  Tiffany Windsor: Then I moved to Tennessee and everything changed.
• 2:35
  Tiffany Windsor: I joined a woman's Bible study.
• 2:38
  Tiffany Windsor: Now this was different.
• 2:42
  Tiffany Windsor: There was lots of laughter, there were women asking honest questions, nobody pretended to have it all figured out.
• 2:49
  Tiffany Windsor: Someone would say, I don't understand this verse, and instead of everyone gasping, they'd say, Let's figure it out together.
• 2:58
  Tiffany Windsor: I thought, oh, is this allowed?
• 3:01
  Tiffany Windsor: Our Bible study teacher has this wonderful way of making scripture come alive.
• 3:06
  Tiffany Windsor: She never tries to impress anyone with how much she knows.
• 3:09
  Tiffany Windsor: She is so humble in that way, and she simply loves God's word.
• 3:14
  Tiffany Windsor: And that love spills over onto everyone around her.
• 3:19
  Tiffany Windsor: Every week I found myself looking forward to going back.
• 3:22
  Tiffany Windsor: Not because I suddenly understood the entire Bible, far from it.
• 3:27
  Tiffany Windsor: I went because I wanted to know Jesus better.
• 3:30
  Tiffany Windsor: Somewhere along the way, God gently showed me something.
• 3:33
  Tiffany Windsor: Nobody expected me to know everything.
• 3:36
  Tiffany Windsor: The only person putting that pressure on me was me.
• 3:40
  Tiffany Windsor: And then I realized I had been doing that with prayer.
• 3:43
  Tiffany Windsor: I honestly believed there had to be a right formula.
• 3:47
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe five minutes, maybe ten, maybe start with dear Heavenly Father, maybe throw in enough lords.
• 3:55
  Tiffany Windsor: I wasn't sure.
• 3:56
  Tiffany Windsor: I just assumed everyone else knew something I didn't.
• 4:00
  Tiffany Windsor: And then one day it hit me.
• 4:02
  Tiffany Windsor: Prayer isn't a performance, it's a conversation.
• 4:06
  Tiffany Windsor: Think about the people you love most.
• 4:08
  Tiffany Windsor: If you invited one of your closest friends over for coffee, or in my case, a nice cup of herbal tea, would you spend thirty minutes rehearsing every sentence before they arrived?
• 4:19
  Tiffany Windsor: Of course not.
• 4:20
  Tiffany Windsor: You'd sit down, smile, start talking.
• 4:23
  Tiffany Windsor: Some conversations would be funny, some would be serious.
• 4:26
  Tiffany Windsor: Some days you'd laugh until your tea got cold, other days you'd cry.
• 4:31
  Tiffany Windsor: That's relationship.
• 4:33
  Tiffany Windsor: And that's exactly what prayer is.
• 4:36
  Tiffany Windsor: It's a conversation with a father who already knows your heart.
• 4:40
  Tiffany Windsor: Jesus said something in Matthew 6 that completely changed how I think about prayer.
• 4:46
  Tiffany Windsor: He warned people not to pray just to impress everyone else.
• 4:49
  Tiffany Windsor: Then he said something that still brings me comfort every time I read it.
• 4:54
  Tiffany Windsor: Your father knows what you need before you ask him.
• 4:57
  Tiffany Windsor: I love that because it reminds me, prayer isn't about giving God information.
• 5:03
  Tiffany Windsor: He already knows.
• 5:05
  Tiffany Windsor: Prayer is about giving him our hearts.
• 5:08
  Tiffany Windsor: One of the sweetest surprises in my own journey actually happened when years ago my sister-in-law gave me several worship CDs.
• 5:17
  Tiffany Windsor: I had never really heard contemporary Christian worship music.
• 5:21
  Tiffany Windsor: I was reading about Jesus, but come to find out I honestly didn't know much about Christianity at all.
• 5:27
  Tiffany Windsor: But every afternoon after work I'd put one of those CDs into my car player.
• 5:31
  Tiffany Windsor: Remember when cars had CD players?
• 5:34
  Tiffany Windsor: Some of you are smiling right now and thinking, I wonder what a CD is.
• 5:38
  Tiffany Windsor: I'd listen all the way home.
• 5:41
  Tiffany Windsor: At the time I didn't really understand what the songs were saying.
• 5:45
  Tiffany Windsor: I just knew something about them brought peace.
• 5:48
  Tiffany Windsor: Now I look back and realize God was preparing my heart before I even knew He was.
• 5:54
  Tiffany Windsor: Isn't that just like Him?
• 5:56
  Tiffany Windsor: He knows exactly how to reach each of us.
• 6:00
  Tiffany Windsor: Sometimes it's through scripture, sometimes through music, sometimes through a conversation with a friend.
• 6:06
  Tiffany Windsor: He's always pursuing us long before we realize we're looking for Him.
• 6:11
  Tiffany Windsor: These days my mornings look very different.
• 6:14
  Tiffany Windsor: I'm studying through the Old Testament with my church.
• 6:17
  Tiffany Windsor: At the same time, I'm working my way through the New Testament.
• 6:21
  Tiffany Windsor: And I have to laugh because there are some mornings when Moses, David, Peter, Paul, Elijah, and Elisha all decide to show up at the same time.
• 6:29
  Tiffany Windsor: My poor brain is over there waving a little white flag.
• 6:33
  Tiffany Windsor: Can we just focus on one prophet today?
• 6:35
  Tiffany Windsor: But here's what I love.
• 6:37
  Tiffany Windsor: Every morning I learn something new.
• 6:40
  Tiffany Windsor: Not because I'm becoming a Bible scholar, I am definitely not.
• 6:44
  Tiffany Windsor: I'm learning something new about God's heart, and every single day our relationship grows a little deeper.
• 6:51
  Tiffany Windsor: That's what prayer has become for me.
• 6:53
  Tiffany Windsor: Not something I have to get right, not words I have to polish, just another conversation with someone I love.
• 7:01
  Tiffany Windsor: So if you've been listening today and quietly thinking, Tiffany, I don't know how to pray, can I gently encourage you?
• 7:08
  Tiffany Windsor: Just start talking.
• 7:10
  Tiffany Windsor: Tell God you're afraid.
• 7:12
  Tiffany Windsor: Tell him you're confused.
• 7:13
  Tiffany Windsor: Tell him you're excited.
• 7:15
  Tiffany Windsor: Tell him you're angry.
• 7:17
  Tiffany Windsor: Tell him you're grateful.
• 7:18
  Tiffany Windsor: Ask him questions.
• 7:20
  Tiffany Windsor: Cry if you need to.
• 7:22
  Tiffany Windsor: Sit quietly if you don't have words.
• 7:24
  Tiffany Windsor: Sometimes my prayers are beautifully thoughtful, and sometimes they're simply Lord help.
• 7:31
  Tiffany Windsor: He understands both.
• 7:33
  Tiffany Windsor: Because he isn't grading your vocabulary, he's listening to your heart.
• 7:38
  Tiffany Windsor: Here's a circle sister prayer for you today.
• 7:42
  Tiffany Windsor: Heavenly Father, thank you for inviting us into a relationship instead of a performance.
• 7:49
  Tiffany Windsor: Thank you that we don't have to impress you with perfect words because you already know our hearts.
• 7:55
  Tiffany Windsor: Help us to come to you with honesty, confidence, and childlike faith.
• 8:00
  Tiffany Windsor: Teach us to enjoy spending time with you, not because we have to, but because we get to.
• 8:06
  Tiffany Windsor: Remind us each day that you delight in hearing the voices of your children.
• 8:11
  Tiffany Windsor: And may our conversations with you become the sweetest part of every day.
• 8:16
  Tiffany Windsor: In Jesus' name, amen.
• 8:19
  Tiffany Windsor: This story today is what I call one of my seedlings.
• 8:23
  Tiffany Windsor: They're simply little God moments throughout my day that start as tiny seedlings in my heart and eventually grow into stories I get to share with you here on In His Circle.
• 8:34
  Tiffany Windsor: If you'd like to connect, leave a comment, or share your own God moments, I'd love to see you over on Substack.
• 8:42
  Tiffany Windsor: In His Circle.substack.com.
• 8:45
  Tiffany Windsor: That's where you'll find more articles, the In His Circle podcast, and our growing community.
• 8:50
  Tiffany Windsor: You can join us for free or subscribe for expanded content.
• 8:54
  Tiffany Windsor: Before I go today, I want to leave you with one simple thought.
• 8:59
  Tiffany Windsor: Don't wait until you think you've learned enough to pray.
• 9:02
  Tiffany Windsor: Prayer isn't a graduation gift for people who know the whole Bible.
• 9:06
  Tiffany Windsor: It's how we get to know the one who wrote it.
• 9:10
  Tiffany Windsor: So today, just start the conversation.
• 9:12
  Tiffany Windsor: I have a feeling he's been smiling, waiting to hear your voice all along.
• 9:18
  Tiffany Windsor: Until next time, keep spending time in God's Word, keep talking with him, and keep taking that next faithful step.
• 9:24
  Tiffany Windsor: Because we're all learning to walk faithfully one step at a time.
• 9:29
  Tiffany Windsor: I'm Tiffany Windsor and thank you for joining me In His Circle.