Learning Takes Practice

            “Hablas Espanol?”  For those who have taken basic Spanish in high school, you know that I have asked, “Do you speak Spanish?”  Many years ago I took Spanish for two years in high school. And then, in college, I took two more years to fulfill the requirement of four semesters of a foreign language.  The fact is that for years I have been able to understand small bits of the language, and I can recognize many words when written. But to carry on a conversation in Spanish?  That wasn’t going to happen.

            Recently I have taken a completely different approach to learning the language.  I am going to Bolivia on a mission trip in November, and I would like to be able to have a very basic conversation with those whom I encounter on the trip.  Of course I want to be able to read a menu and street signs. But I want to be able to speak with another person. That is what matters most.

            So, I am taking what is called “an immersion class” in Spanish. At least six days a week (for several weeks now) I spend 30 minutes listening to, and responding to, an oral conversation in Spanish. Sometimes I get the answers right. At other times I find myself struggling to remember the right word, or word form. But the bottom line is that I am learning a bit of Spanish.  I still have several weeks before the trip, and I continue to learn more each day.  I am really excited about the possibilities.

            The truth is that we learn to pray in the same way that I am learning to speak Spanish. You can read about prayer.  You can listen to sermons about prayer. But the best way to learn to pray is simple. Pray. Talk to God. And then stop and listen to Him.  In all likelihood, if you have not prayed in a while, your first attempts at prayer will likely be a struggle. But every day you pray, you learn a bit more how to pray. 

            So, let me encourage you in this task.  You might not need to learn Spanish. But if you are a child of God, you need to speak to Him daily. “Pray without ceasing,” was Paul’s admonition to us.  I encourage you to do just that.