Day 9.
Written by Jennschem
Posted on Friday, May 2, 2008 at 07:34 PM.
Today we're talking about prayer. How when we pray we so often think it has to be perfect. There are two or three ways we usually end up responding to this.
1. We don't pray at all. We think we're too lowly, too dirty, too unworthy to even speak to God. We think of Him as condescending upon our foolish, unworthy attempts at prayer. We may even know these things to be untrue, but can't seem to understand them. There's a big difference. And thinking God wants the "perfect prayer" or else He's sitting on a pedestal judging you, just brings you down, and frustrates God. "You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one." (John 8:15) He's here and loves you and always, always wants to hear your voice! He has every right to judge us yet He doesn't! ".... whoever comes to me I will never drive away." (John 6:37) That includes you.
2. We ramble on and on and on and on, making sure to not leave anything out and beg, and plead, and scream. Basically in emotional sac-cloth and ashes, trying to be heard by God, begging and only dreaming that He will listen, feeling if we ease up even a little bit all will be lost. "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matt. 6:7-8) This doesn't mean its wrong to cry out to God with our souls, repeating ourselves because we want to honestly scream our hearts out of agony, it means don't worry so much or think you will be heard by many words. He hears you! Every sigh within your soul He listens to. "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' " And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:1-8) Be faithful in praying, I'm not saying not to pray or talk to God, even rambling and honestly conversing with Him is awesome, but I'm saying don't think that God won't hear you unless you beg.
3. We actually become prideful! We start more like, exalting ourselves with the way we pray, and talk to ourselves, not God. We stand in the "synagogues" of either our own mind, or literally go out in public and pray loudly the "perfect prayer,".... or so it would seem. Praying with others is NOT wrong, but praying the perfect prayer- literally picking and choosing the perfect prayers to impress people- thats wrong, the Bible even warns against that. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." (Matt 6:1)
Okay well now that I've mentioned the three most common ways.... There really is no "right way" to pray. But prayer; God wants really, of all things. Belief.
He talks about this all throughout the entire Bible. But let's think about it on our level for a second. How would you like it if someone kept asking you for something, but didn't believe you to get it for them at all? They're asking you for no reason. All Jesus is REALLY asking us to do when we pray, is to BELIEVE Him! BELIEVE His will will be done! Believe that no matter what happens, its for our good and the good of those according to His purpose. A Father whose son had a demon, Jesus asked him "do you believe?" He said, "Yes, Lord, I believe!" Then called out humiliatingly honestly, and really risking everything, "Help me with my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)
"Who by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matt 6:27) Don't pray out of worry, Jesus wants you to pray out of belief!
Also, when you pray, if you are worried, let Him know you're worried. If you are burdened tell Him. Tell Jesus everything! Only He can be our dumping grounds, which we often mistake other people for. "Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matt 11:28)
He loves you! When you love someone you want to know exactly what their thinking, feeling... You want to know them. God wants you to know Him and talk to Him. Jesus was perpetually honest with His Father.
"'Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'" (Mark 14:36)
Jesus was honest, Jesus believed, and Jesus accepted that God's will be done!
Please believe God when He says He LOVES you!
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
Our honesty won't make Him love us any less or any more. Nothing can change His unfathomable love for us! Nothing about us shocks Him, for He knows us far better than we know ourselves.
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." (James 5:15)
Believe.
You should put this in video form!
May the Lord bless you and grant you the wisdom to keep writing these!