Creepy Prayers

Now I lay me down to sleep/I pray the Lord my soul to keep, etc.
God is great, God is good/Let us thank Him for our food, etc.

Those are the earliest prayers I can remember saying...its probably true for many folks, as well. The Lord's Prayer found its way into my prayer repertoire probably before my 10th birthday. I am pretty sure I was aware by then that I was attempting to communicate with the Creator.
I have been a part of groups/teams that prayed for victory in an athletic event. I went thru a period in my twenties when I stood on a street corner in Hollywood and prayed for folks passing by to see the light and come to Jesus (I lived in the L.A. area at the time and our church would often travel down to an area of Hollywood and "pray for sinners.")
At the advanced age of almost 67, and after over 35 years of serving as a church pastor, I think very differently about prayer than I did years ago. I think of prayer now as a way of quieting myself in an attempt to sense what can be known about the Creator's presence. I think of prayer now as a way of "dumping" some of the busyness...some of the crud...some of the trivia that resides in me, and taking in some calmness and grace that the Creator may want to send my way.
On those Sunday mornings when I lead the prayers during worship at the church I serve, I offer these words: In these moments of silence/Speak, and we will listen/Listen, and we will speak the words of our hearts.
Its been quite a journey from those first prayers I learned to where I am now.
The journey will most likely continue.