What is Prayer about, anyway?

What is prayer all about? Am I doing it right?

Ever since I was a young girl, I have been fascinated by prayer. I used to look at pictures of people praying and wonder how they could close their eyes and talk to someone they could not see. I used to wonder why the older folk would insist on praying for so long (disclaimer – that is how I pray these days) and why they would do so when we were in a hurry to leave, or when there was a sumptuous meal on the table!

As I grew in the Christian faith, my prayers took on all shapes and sizes! In high school, after running away from God for so long, I finally decided to give my life to him just before my final exams. And then I prayed and prayed, because I realized that things were thick and I could not afford to fail my exams. I passed, thank God.

Then came the campus years. For those who were in local universities in the 90s, you know the drill. Early morning prayers, evening prayers, lunchtime prayer in the field, etc. I must say those days I really used to pray a lot. I, however, don’t think I understood what prayer was at that point. God is gracious, though – He answered my naive prayers and ignored the selfish ones!

Then life began. I settled in church and got involved in ministry. Every time we had a ministry assignment we had to pray, knowing very well that we needed the Lord’s guidance, anointing, and protection. And pray we did – but that also didn’t last long. When there was no ministry assignment, there was not much prayer.

This year (several years after the ministry season), I started to think hard about prayer. Why am I praying? What is the purpose of prayer? If I pray and God does not answer my prayers (yes, there are several of these), will I still keep praying? Let me share a little of what I learnt, hoping that the few lessons will ignite your prayer life.

Prayer is not about me, it’s about God. 

Psalm 141:2 “Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.” (NLT)

Incense, as we all know, produces a sweet-smelling scent that permeates its surroundings, both indoors and outdoors. When I looked at this verse, I wondered how a prayer could be likened to incense. Then it hit me – a prayer that pleases God will be like a sweet-smelling scent in His presence. Hold that thought…

Are my prayers always sweet-smelling? Well… let me share a few of the nasty-smelling prayers I have prayed over the years – the prayer to get married that man who I thought was perfect, the prayer that my enemies would experience what they had put me through, the prayer that the person who ridiculed me would be punished, the prayer that the person who hit my car in the parking lot would pay for it dearly, etc. I am truly grateful to God that He did not answer some of those prayers, because they were based on one thing – me!!!!! These prayers were all about me, yet they should have been about God and His glory!

I am not saying that we should not ask God for things that we need; we should most definitely ask for them. What we should do is make sure that whatever we ask for will bring Him glory, regardless of how small and insignificant the request is, so that when we receive the answers, we are thankful to Him, and He is pleased with us.

Lord, every time I pray, remind me that whatever I ask for should please You and bring you Glory. Amen.

Prayer is about relationship

Lord, I need a new car because I am tired of getting wet during the rainy season. Amen.

Lord, please give me a job. You know how much I need it. Amen.

Do those prayers sound like one-sided conversations? Yes, they do!

Sometimes we treat God like He is sitting on His throne with shelves of answers to prayers lined up behind Him. We ask, and He snaps His fingers, and the answer appears at our feet. No time to talk to Him, no time to listen to Him, no time to hang out with Him. A one-sided relationship.

Moses had a different experience…

Exodus 33:11 “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” (NLT)

Moses would go up the mountain to receive instructions from God, but when he got there, the Lord would not just give him instructions, but He would talk to him as a friend would, just like you do when you have coffee with a friend.

At the point when this was happening, the Lord was not exactly pleased with the Israelites. He knew that their hearts were bent on disobedience. Yet, in the midst of all that, God chose to have a relationship with His servant Moses. Moses would go up to pray, and the Lord would speak to Him at length. After the bonding session was over, Moses would descend, his face shining because of the time spent in the Lord’s presence.

Do you take prayer as being an important part of your relationship with God, or is it a necessary chore that must be fulfilled? Do you enjoy spending time with Him? Would you be happy to just sit with Him and enjoy the beauty of His presence?

Lord, let my times of prayer be more than just request sessions where I ask and wait to receive. Let these prayer times be opportunities to spend time with You and to enjoy being in Your presence. Amen.

Prayer is about listening to God

“Tell God what you need! Speak out your desires! Cry out to Him and tell Him what is bothering you!”

All good, no – great prayers- but when does God get a word in? Do I ever let Him speak?

God asked Elijah a question, and Elijah responded with a rant. God silenced the rant with an instruction for Elijah to stand outside and wait for the presence of the Lord to pass by. Elijah did so and saw a powerful wind, an earthquake and a fire pass by, but the Lord was not in any of these.

1 Kings 19:12-13 ‘After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”’ (NIV)

Finally, God had Elijah’s full attention. And Elijah listened. Interestingly, what God had to say was exactly what Elijah needed to hear! The prophet had complained of being all alone in His quest to serve the Lord, to which the Lord answered…

1 Kings 19: 18 “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” (NIV)

If Elijah had not listened to God, he would never have found out that there were others like him, others who worshiped the true God.

How many things have we missed out on because we do not listen to God? Do you let Him speak to you during your prayer time? Do you take time to meditate on the Bible verses that you read during your devotional time and hear what He is saying? Do you ever sit quietly during your prayer time and just listen?

Lord, help me to listen to you – to hear what you are saying to me. Help me to shut out the world and quietly listen for your still small voice. Amen.

Dear friends, prayer is a beautiful and powerful tool that the Lord has given us to use as Christians. I am so grateful for the gift of prayer, and my heart’s desire is that I will learn to use this gift the right way.

 

 

 

Hi, everyone! I hope you’ve been well since you read the last blog. What are your thoughts on prayer? I would love to read them. Please share them in the comments box below, and have a blessed week ahead. Lastly, don’t forget to share this article!