Just Pray!

Just Pray!

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Matthew 6:7‭-‬8 KJV

Depending on who you ask, prayer is work. God knows the benefits and blessings that flow out of a life of prayer, and that is why in his earthly ministry, he taught a lot about it, but that was not all he did. He also lived it out in his own personal and public life too. That is the start point of today's consideration: is my life all about making the right impression on other people, or simply living in line with God's will? The reason why prayer is important is that it is God's way of speaking to us at the same time that we also are speaking to him. It is not one-way communication, where one just speaks and does not wait for a response or confirmation, but where as I speak to God about my cares, worries and joy, he also speaks back to me in return, confirming his word, warning me about my actions and providing guidance where required. I really cannot survive this uncertain world without divine guidance. 

This is why it has to be done the right way, if I am to get the right results. If what I want to do is truly pray, I must do it the way the one I pray to wants it. After all, I cannot get something from someone if I do not approach and ask the right way. One thing he has asked me not to do is to engage in 'vain repetitions'. It is very important to check how I pray, so that I do not end up repeating words simply because they sound 'holy' but because they proceed out of a heart of concern. I am not repeating words simply to pass the time to make it seem like I have prayed for an hour, but because there is a burden that needs to be released to God in prayer. I may use many words, but it has to be words inspired by the God to whom I pray, and must be lined up with his perfect will, so that at the end of my prayers, I can go on with the assurance that God had heard me, he has moved me to ask in line with his will, and no matter what happens, he is on my side. That is answered prayer, not because he says yes to me every time, but because I am always in his will. 

The confidence comes from the fact that I am asked to pray to a God of absolute knowledge. He is not an ignorant friend, who needs to be clued up to what i need, or needs visual cues to know what I want. Long before I was even created, or my parents came together in marriage, God already knew all about me: my person, my personality, my gifting, my placement and my purpose. Nothing on earth can disrupt his plan for me, unless I totally refuse to cooperate with him. His wisdom and knowledge are not based on this world's principles, but on his own divine and immutable plan, which no man, save myself, can break. He knows then what I will be asking for at all stages of my life, even the part I have not yet reached. The need of a 10-year old girl is not the same as a 40-year old woman, and will definitely not be the same as a 90-year old great grandmother. No matter the age or the dispensation, God is the same, even when the standards of the world keep changing. His love just does not let go, and his mercy is such that even when I am in error, he will keep loving and speaking, in the hope that I will heed and make amends. 

Prayer is God's solution to man's sense of pride and self-sufficiency. Prayer is God's prescription for man's unhealthy self-esteem issues. Prayer is God's laid down path for man's approach to God, and God's way of sharing his heart with man. I do not know of any other way God can reach out to man than by prayer. Even when I read God's Word, I ask him for clarity and guidance by prayer. When the storms of life come and winds blow, I get succour and protection when I come into the refuge that God provides. I must take advantage of all that God has provided for me to approach him, so that I can enjoy all that he has promised and also made available through Christ. No other way is made available. His time of favour is here.