Articles
Prayer
There may no more intense, and yet intimate, concern that Christians have than their prayer life. It is not unusual to hear someone express their struggle with praying. Christians long for that open communication with our Father.
First, be comforted that, when we pray, we have an intercessor. He intercedes and lays our prayer before the Father as we would have if we could have (Rom. 8:26). Our intercessor is our Ally. When times of difficulty come, we just don’t have the words to express our heart. Be comforted that our intercessor will intercede on our behalf and say what we would if we could.
Second, praying is not about the mechanics. Did I say the right thing at the right time? Did I say it in the right way? Throughout the Bible there are many prayers. All are different. Prayer is the expression of one’s heart to God. It is the pouring out of our hearts desires and concerns. Our prayers change as we change. The prayer of a newborn babe in Christ will not be the prayer of one who is mature in Christ. As we grow, our relationship with God grows. As we grow, our mind grows and we change our focus.
Third, leave the answer to God. Perhaps our struggle with our prayers is because we want to tell God how to answer our prayers. God assures us of His hearing. (1 John 5:14). He did not guarantee the answer we receive. We ask, He answers. Asking is our part. Answering is His part. Leave the answering to Him. We persist (Luke 11:5-8), though we do not make Him weary. We keep on asking. We keep on knocking. We keep on seeking. Our dependence is in Him, not our desired answer. We pray knowing He is in control. We need to take our foot off the gas pedal and let God do His work.
Finally, prayer is a privilege. We have an open invitation to the throne of God through prayer. Don’t grow weary in praying. Pray always about all things. Be anxious of nothing. Let all your heart needs be laid before Him (Phil. 4:6).
I remember visiting my Nanny, my Dad’s mom, about six months before she passed away. I remember her telling me she just did not know if she had prayed enough. It was not until years later I gave that much thought. I doubt it was not that she failed to pray enough. She just wanted to be comforted. Prayer is not about how many times we pray. It is that we pray. And, when we pray, He hears. That is all I need to know. How about you?
Rickie
