Praying Your Sins

This is an excerpt from "A Praying Life" by Paul E. Miller. I would highly recommend reading this book whether you have a strong prayer life or struggle with prayer. In other places he talks about prayer being enjoying the presence of God, having conversation with God, simply communing with God (as if you're sitting down to dinner with someone), focusing on God rather than focusing on the prayer itself. So keep all of this in mind as you read the following excerpt.

"Instead of being frozen by your self-preoccupation, talk with God about your worries. Tell him where you are weary. If you don't begin with where you are, then where you are will sneak in the back door. Your mind will wander to where you are weary.
"We are often so busy and overwhelmed that when we slow down to pray, we don't know where our hearts are. We don't know what troubles us. So, oddly enough, we might have to worry before we pray. Then our prayers will make sense. They will be about our real lives.
"Your heart could be, and often is, askew. That's okay. You have to begin with what is real. Jesus didn't come for the righteous. He came for sinners. All of us qualify. The very things we try to get rid of - our weariness, our distractedness, our messiness - are what get us in the front door! That's how the gospel works. That's how prayer works."