What comes to mind when you think of prayer? Do you think of monologues given by some suited guy on his knees who is more about how well he can speak than the One he is supposedly speaking to? Maybe you’ve heard those texts that tell us to pray without ceasing, to be thankful for everything, that God will answer your prayers before you ask, or that whatever you ask, God will give to you. Is God a genie who is required to grant your prayer wishes?
How can prayer ever be “for God”, despite what Dr Douglass would say - (openness of God theory). If God is aware of birds falling and flowers wilting, we’re not telling God anything He/She doesn’t know about us. “The Lord’s Prayer” is our heart response to the Gospel; and defines our attitude as we live our lives. It covers all our needs.
My dad was a “Clements” and no one gets upset when I say that makes me a “Clements”.
But religious people, who tell me god is my father, go out of their minds if I say that makes me a god.
I’m not into proof texting, but according to John 10:34, Jesus, by quoting one of his great, great, great, great, great, grand fathers King David, would have and no issues with such alleged blasphemy.
So when it comes to prayer, maybe instead of talking to god, humans need to learn to listen to and trust themselves, which self might be as close as we can come to experiencing the existential force that originally created, and also perpetually recreates, the cosmos.