what to say and what to speak

Spoke with a brother yesterday to follow up on an article I had sent him. He agreed wholeheartedly with much of what was stated, and then expressed a view on prayer that I hadn't heard before: perhaps certain types of prayer are spiritual gifts, and while all are called to pray, not all are called to pray in the same manner.

On one hand, this makes a lot of sense. We are called to teach Scripture to our young ones, and yet the ability to teach publicly is a gift. We are called to preach the Word, and yet preaching publicly is a gift. So while all may be called to pray, perhaps the ability to lift public prayers and concerts of prayer and spontaneous prayer for others is, too, a gift.

On the other hand, prayer is not an ability. Prayer at its core is simply conversation with God. And while there is some supernatural element of it that can move the Spirit of God and can work wondrous things, it is still simply talking to your Father. And yes, some can do that better than others, but it doesn't mean it is some gift. Treating prayer as some skill separates it from its fundamental nature. Babies fresh from the womb can communicate with their mothers right off the bat. And we're saying we don't have that innate skill with our Father?

I lean far more toward the latter position than the former. I can see where if you are completely underdeveloped in one area, you believe it is because that isn't how the Lord made you. But the alternative to that position is realizing that He has in fact made you to excel in that area should you only choose to grow.