Sunday, Prayer, What It Is And Isn't

Saw this excellent piece on prayer yesterday. I think our level of maturity as Christians and adults is greatly reflected in whether we pray, how we pray and especially why we pray. So many people only pray to get, get, get when they urgently, desperately want and need God to bail them out or give them a miracle as if He were the tooth fairy. Sometimes God does seem to answer our 911 calls. But often He doesn't, or not in the ways we wish them answered. So we often give up, get angry, walk away, shaking our fists at a distant God who doesn't seem to care about us.

In truth, prayer is designed to be one of the toughest disciplines there is on the spiritual journey.

God wants a long-term relationship with us and not just occasional intense cries for help. It's the single most difficult part of my walk each day. Like exercise, when I need it the most, I often want to do it the least. But Christ commands us to do it anyway, and do it steadfastly. He says it grows us up, especially when we pray for our enemies and those we may be connected to yet distant from.

This weekend one of my step-brothers died suddenly, though he has had several scrapes with death over the past few years. When a family member dies, even an extended family member from whom your life has drastically diverged for years, I can tell you it brings up what ever's left of unfinished stuff. Mine is a typical dysfunctional extended family which has the added complexity of my sister having married one of our four step-brothers (My father remarried after my mother died and we were all out of our nests.). They have two children and are now, sadly, divorced. But the angst and distance this created among us has often been palpable. At times like these, I struggle with my resistance to pray at all about certain parts of my family. And when I do, I'm inclined to pick and choose who and what I pray for. Sinner that I am, I want God to do it my way, Norman Rockwell's way.

But Christ commands me to grow up and out of such foolishness and do it differently, to do it His way no matter how hard I may find it. He wants me to surrender to His will and leave the results up to Him. And so I try. But believe you me, it's one of the toughest things I do on a regular basis---to pray where there's continuing family scars.

Christ says I may never ever see the results from these prayers in my lifetime but to keep praying anyway. So I do. Imperfectly. Sporadically.

Anyway, below is that little piece on prayer that I think tells it like it really is by Michael Stover:

"HOW OFTEN DO YOU PRAY? How long do you pray for something before giving up? Although the lack of persistence in prayer is a problem, I believe simple lack of prayer is the most pervasive issue.

"Many do not pray with any consistency or regularity from lack of faith in the practice of prayer. If we do not trust in the avenue of prayer, we will see no need for persisting in its discipline. And if we know little of what prayer really is and what prayer really does, we will simply not pray.

"Prayer is acquiring an understanding of the mind of God and aligning ourselves with it. Many jump to the conclusion that anything can be had from God if we are persistent in our asking. It is as if we can overcome God's seeming reluctance with begging and pleading, much as many children today seem to do with their earthly parents.


"Even though with Jesus as our great High Priest, we should be bold to ask with faith in God's character, but humble in the asking.

"Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." (Hebrews 4:16)

"In Luke 18:1-8 we see another side of praying with persistence. The determination of the woman in dealing with the unjust judge is an illustration of we should pray continually until an answer comes. God is much more faithful and just to answer than the ungodly judge in the parable. But again, it is not our continual nagging that moves God. It is the faith that drives us to seek His will and help, adjust ourselves to His will and plan, trust in His answer, and follow Him."

"How should we react when we pray and seem to get no answer? We should continue to pray through until an answer comes. The answer may be different than what we expect; it may not be what we have asked for so vehemently. But God's answers are always right and are to be followed. He will always answer in a way that fits His character and plan, which will bring Him glory and bring His best to us."

from Pastor Mike Stover