When you pray, are you approaching in reverence before the Creator of the universe, falling in full surrender at His feet in persistent desperation? Or is your prayer life an underutilized tool tucked away in your bag of faith?
When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, His instructions looked nothing like the lavish, performative prayers the religious leaders of the day put on display. Prayer is a gift from God, an invitation into direct relationship with our Heavenly Father. Through prayer, we draw near to Him. We ask Him for forgiveness, because we need His mercy anew each day. And as an extension of that mercy, we ask Him to make us capable of forgiving those around us.
God is a good Father. He encourages us to come to Him. He delights in giving good gifts to His children. But we are also called to align the desires of our hearts with His will. This is where many people can get tangled in prosperity gospel thinking. I can beg God for a mansion every day of my life, but if that desire is not aligned with His purpose for me, it likely will not come to pass.
Our prayers are to include a request for our daily bread, provision for today, while trusting that He will also provide for tomorrow. I recently heard someone say, “God has not forgotten the recipe for manna.” What a thought.
When the Israelites wandered through the wilderness after leaving Egypt, God did not abandon them to starve. Instead, He fed them with the bread of Heaven. I can’t wait to taste that one day. There was never too little, nor too much that it spoiled. In His perfect wisdom and provision, each family received exactly what they needed for that day.
In the parable of the neighbor at midnight, the man was not asking for abundance, but simply enough bread to properly host his guest. He knocked, pleaded, and persisted until the neighbor finally rose to help him. And if a sinful, broken man will eventually respond to persistent pleading, how much more willingly will our Heavenly Father provide what we truly need?
I dare say God delights in our persistence because it exposes our dependence on Him. It reminds us that we need more than what we can provide for ourselves.
God designed us for relationship with Him, and prayer is the most intimate relationship many of us will know on this side of heaven. Invite Him into the deepest parts of your soul, where He holds you as His precious child. Through the Holy Spirit alive within you, recognize His will and participate in bringing His Kingdom here on earth.
As we ask for His will to be revealed, we can move forward confidently, trusting in His protection from the enemy and knowing that He sees every yearning of our hearts.