I believe every person living will say a prayer to something or somebody at some point in time in their lives. When we pray we give our submission to something that is bigger than ourselves.
For myself, I can’t always say that I have had the best prayer life. I know that when things get hard I find it easier to pray but when times are easy I rarely will speak to God. I can catch myself at times living life as if I control what goes on in it. And when I do find myself praying I even catch myself doubting God in the midst of my prayers. I think a lot of times we pray and God may very well answer our prayers, but in our own doubts, we miss the answers given to us.
We should pray with the same attitude we have when we order gifts for ourselves online. You know how when you order something for yourself you get excited? And you know that your package is coming and it should be in the mail within a few days after you order it. So when you check the mail the next few days you are checking with the expectancy in receiving something. This is not to say that when you ask God for something He is just going to give you whatever it is you ask for. But I do believe we should pray with the same attitude of expectancy. Praying with expectancy and knowing that the answers God gives us are not always the ones we may want but the ones we need. Our God is a God we can pray to, knowing He will give us the provision we need, not necessarily what it is that we want.
So how are you praying? And what are you praying for? Are our prayers like a mirror? Only reflecting on ourselves? Or are our prayers like a window being able to look out and see the pain and hurting in the world we live in?
I love my friends and the people who are involved in my life. I really could not ask for better people to be able to do life with. But despite this I rarely find myself praying for them. I rarely find myself concerned with their pain and their hurt or their struggles.
I love the country that I live in but often times I complain about the things that occur within government and I can honestly say that I rarely pray for the leaders in government or the laws that are under consideration and being passed or about the events that have occurred over the years.
We will often complain, making statements based on our own opinions before going to God and asking for His provision. There are so many things that I find myself thinking upon but never pray on. If I believe God is the God of my life and in control of all, then I should be in constant prayer.
What makes prayer important is not what it is that we are asking but to Whom we are asking from. When we pray we are showing our reliance on God. When we pray we are able to show our concern for others and show our confidence that it is God that has total control of our lives. Paul says it best in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
We are to pray always without ceasing, praying for all things in all circumstances. Praying to a God who can and will do far more than we can ask. Praying to a God who has a greater love for us than we can imagine. Praying to a God who we know we can trust to provide for us.
So when you pray whatever it may be that you are praying for–praying for America, praying for friends, and praying for yourself–always be praying with expectancy, trust, and reliance on a God who can and will do far more than you could ever ask.
-BMF