The Gift of Prayer

If you’re like me, you’ve come to rely on the prayers that you pray. You believe your Father in Heaven hears your prayers and answers them. You pray before meals, during your quiet time, and throughout the day as the need arises. You believe God is active and acts on your prayers.

You are right to believe God will answer your prayers. Prayer is God’s gift to you. You are not alone nor without resources on your journey of faith. God’s got your back!

Over my lifetime I’ve probably prayed thousands of prayers. My prayers have morphed from the dispenser type variety (put this in and you get that outcome), to the praise and worship type. Many of my prayers are conversations. At times I pray one word prayers when I am tired or discouraged. All I say is “Jesus” over and over again because I’m too weary to say more.

Prayer is Practical

I’ve learned to rely on my Father’s answers. Often times I have a challenge, like this week, where fear gets the upper hand. I turn to God and ask Him if it’s going to be okay, as I did with this thing. I’ve learned I can leave it with Him and not stew about it after the assurance comes.

My son needed a ride to the airport in the middle of the night. I didn’t like the thought of driving alone after I would drop him off, 80 miles away. After wrestling with it for a while, I suggested he use the airport parking lot. He didn’t pick up on the idea. So I turned to God and then peace came. I began to view it differently. The time spent with my son would be special. I started looking forward to the drive. Last night I drove to his home, slept a few winks, got up at 2:30 a.m., and hit the road. Well, I drove the return trip from Sacramento primarily in the fog. I made it home early this morning at 6:16 a.m. God kept His end of things.

God is Faithful

I was thinking about how many prayers God has answered for me over the years. A lot of my pleas center around an undisclosed health issue that plagues me. I worry whether I’m going to have an episode while traveling. It’s a very practical reason that I pray, in this case. I also worry about what could happen, like a flat tire. Before I drove to my son’s place, a half an hour away, I was thinking about how good God is to me to be involved in answering my prayers all the time.

Because of my thoughts, I wrote this on Twitter.

I think of all the times God’s answered my prayers and I’m astounded. He meets my traveling needs by keeping me safe. He meets my financial needs by supplying when the extras pile up. He meets my family’s needs when the kids are sick or they have a new challenge. I’m grateful.

Jesus, Our Example

Jesus showed us how to pray. His prayer was remarkable in that it touched on all the major aspects of our lives. We revere His holy name, we recognize His will on earth and heaven, we petition for our daily needs, we are contrite for our sins, we acknowledge our need to forgive, we recognize we need divine help to resist temptation, we ask for deliverance from evil, and we give praise for the kingdom, the power. and the glory, forever. The prayer closes with a doxology, a hymn of praise, that’s been added to Jesus’s prayer.

Our prayers expand and increase in depth as we grow in our spiritual lives. If we pray our hearts without caring what people think, we then become authentic in our prayers. Sad to say, we’re so worried about what people think when we pray out loud. Pray from the heart and forget what else is going on.

God loves the prayers and praises of the saints. We gather together in prayer naturally, immediately, and sincerely with bold hearts and tender thoughts. God enters our midst. His presence is known. We know He is with us.

My Anglican friend calls it the Our Father. Let’s stop a moment and pray The Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. They kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen

A Benediction

Amen

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