Prayer – A Relationship

What is prayer all about for you?

Lord, I need a house.

Lord, I need a job.

Lord, I need a car.

Lord, I need money to pay my debts.

These are all valid prayers, prayers that He hears and answers.

But is that all that prayer is about for you?

Before you think that I am judging you, let me confess that I have prayed such prayers in the past, and I still make such prayers to date. When I am totally desperate, my prayers sound like a matatu tout calling for passengers on a busy street, or like an impatient hotel guest ringing the room service bell. I will pray for the same thing over and over until I realize that God has already heard my request and I should wait for the answer.

But is that all prayer should be about? Just asking and waiting for answers? What happens if I don’t get the answer that I am expecting? Do I stop praying?

I think prayer should be more than a customer service interaction where God is the customer service representative and I am the customer. It should be a relationship.

He speaks, I listen. I speak, He listens.

Can you imagine being in a relationship where you are the one talking all the time and the other person is not listening? I think that is how God feels when I go on and on about what I need without stopping to hear what He is saying! Taking time to listen to God is important for many reasons including the fact that He is wiser than I am, His plans for me are perfect and He can correct me where I go wrong!

How do we listen to God when praying? First, we can go to His Word, the Bible. Here we find lots of wise counsel for any kind of situation we may find ourselves in. Secondly, there is that still small voice that whispers words of guidance in our hearts, words that are ALWAYS in line with His Word. As long as we are ready and willing to hear what God is saying, we will hear His voice clearly.

Next time you settle down to pray, how about listening to what God is saying to you before you present your wish list? His words might just make you realize that what you are asking for is not that important, or is simply not in line with His will for you!

Prayer helps to deepen my relationship with God

Lovebirds who are in the early stages of their relationship where everything is rosy and lovey-dovey will tell you that the more time they spend with the person they love, the closer they get and the deeper their relationship becomes. Spending time together gives people in a relationship the opportunity to get to know each other better as they find out more about one another.  But guess what – they both have to commit to spending that time together so that they can grow closer.

So what is stopping us from getting closer to God? We have no excuse! We have a direct line to the Father. We don’t have to go through an intermediary to talk to Him. We have His Word to refer to. We have the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

We just need to make the time.

Let me rebuke myself here. When I get into my prayer closet and start listing all that I need without giving the Lord a chance to get a word in, I am showing Him that I am not interested in a relationship with Him. I am only interested in what I can get from Him. Instead of making the most of my prayer time to commune with God, I jump in, list my demands and jump out again! Isn’t that sad?

Prayer is the perfect time in which we can develop our relationship with God. It is our special time with Him where we get to thank Him, praise Him, listen to Him and enjoy the comfort of His presence. Let’s not get so engrossed in all that’s going on around us to the point that we only have time to hand over our list of demands to God before getting on with our lives.

Perhaps that is another reason why the Lord said, “Pray without ceasing.” It’s only in the prayer closet where we can really develop our relationship and love for the Lord. Prayer is an awesome gift and privilege that we have received from the Lord- a direct line to Him that we can use anytime, anywhere, and as many times as we need to.

Listen to what God is saying to you. Have that chat with Him. Learn from Him. Let Him love on you as you spend time with Him. Build your relationship with Him. Then, asking for what you need will not seem like a list of demands to God! He will gladly listen to you and answer you according to His will.

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)