Pray!

Pray!

“And when you pray, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. So do not be like them [praying as they do]; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7‭-‬8 AMP

Context and Charge:

Jesus was speaking to his disciples here, teaching them about access to His Father. There is no other way that has been prescribed by Jesus as the way to align with the will of the Father, than to seek it through prayer. It is therefore important that I know what prayer is and how to do it the right way, so it can lead to the right results. Jesus speaks about the fact of prayer, not complaining, grumbling, or just lamenting. Prayer is the simple act of approaching God and speaking to him from your heart, and then waiting on him to speak back. I take my concerns to him, and He tells me what He wants me to do, where he wants me to go, or even to sit still and let him work however he pleases. Prayer must not be a struggle to impose my will on God; in fact, the created can never become the creator, and if I will not accept or submit to the will of the Creator, I wonder what other options there are. 

There is also the timing of prayer, which Jesus expects must be often and frequent. He tells him disciples to make sure they pray. It is not an option, but must be part of the fabric of a life that wants to make impact. Don't reduce prayer to an activity that is only good for tough times, but a daily and frequent resolution, where I go to the Creator to obtain guidance, strength and favour for life's journey. And of course, there is the substance of prayer, where what I say must flow from my heart, and not what men would like me to say. Too many times, we have reduced prayer to an exercise in covetousness, where we want what someone else has, or we simply multiply words to no effect. It is not in the length, but in the depth and the reach. If I touch God's heart, would it matter if my prayer was 5 hours or 5 minutes? If I don't, would it matter if I kept at it for 5 hours?

Conviction and Conclusion:

It has been established that prayer is critical to all that God wants to do in and through me. There is a huge need for prayer. If there was no need for it, Jesus would not spend so much time in secret doing it. It was the source of his power, and the foundation of his impact. All who will be like him must live as He did. Interestingly, even before I open my mouth, God already knows what I need, so why should I bother with prayer? The end of prayer is not so much about my comfort, but the conviction of my heart that God loves to hear me speak to Him. Prayer is my way of telling God that I choose to surrender to Him. I tell God I recognize his Lordship and authority over all of life, and that no matter what comes my way, He has it all under control. I pray so that I can know what to do, when to do it and how to do it. I may not always get it right, but as I persist in the place of prayer, I become more and more like the person God wants me to be. That is his end-game. Would I surrender? God's time of favour is here.