Sometimes you learn something, but you don’t know you’ve learned it until years later. 
When I started seminary I lived in an old house with three other seminarians–two seniors and a middler. The others taught me a Jewish table grace that we often used at our meals together: “Blessed art thou, Lord God, King of the Universe, who causes the earth to bring forth food.” Many years later it stuck me how different this prayer was from the typical prayer I had learned as a Christian. The prayer blessed God for causing the earth to bring forth food, but it didn’t ask for anything. It praised God for what was already received, but asked for nothing more.

This kind of prayer appears frequently in the Scriptures. Look at the wonderful prayer Zechariah offered on his son, John. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them” (Luke 1:68). 

Some prayers seem to degenerate into letters to a heavenly Santa Claus asking for a whole lot of stuff. It’s not wrong to ask things of God. It’s good for us to do that, but I feel the first movement of our hearts should be to thank and praise God. Use that moment of silent reflection you began with. Did some gift of God come to mind that you want to give thanks for? Are there some qualities of God you want to praise like mercy or love? Whatever comes to mind, give voice to.

Read Psalm 103, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

 Wayne