Thursday, July 15, 2010

Now, I Lay Me Down To Sleep....

Have you ever wondered why we pray? I mean really....why do we pray? I don't know about you, but for the longest time, my prayers have sounded something like this: "God, please heal my stuffy nose." "Jesus, help me not to fail this exam, etc" Or maybe for some of us, it might be out of routine. Maybe, you pray before you hit the sheets at night, or maybe right before you eat. Up until just recently, I didn't see the point of prayer. I didn't see a reason to pray, because I couldn't imagine why God would need us to say "Dear, God, please help my mom feel better." In my mind, either it was His will for momma to be sick OR He would just make her feel better. He didn't need me for stuff like that...right?

It took me FOREVER to realize that it wasn't Him needing my prayers....it was me needing to depend on Him. Sure, He thrills in hearing from his children, but He doesn't need them. It's not like God is surprised when you pray to Him. He doesn't hear you and think "WHOOOOAAA, JESSICA HAD THAT JOB INTERVIEW TODAY?!" No, prayer is for your trust in Him to become stronger with each one. When God answers your prayers, you can look back and see how He was there for you. God just may not answer them how you want Him to. I'm still learning this and I don't think I'll ever have it "learned" completely.

Prayer is about getting close to God and deepening a relationship with Him. When you love somebody, you want to hang out with them, right? Well, prayer is exactly that! Prayer is, in a way, becoming vulnerable. We are acknowledging to both ourselves and to God that we can't do it by ourselves, that we need His help and guidance. We're showing God that we truly DO believe that He is our Source of strength. With our prayers we praise Him, confess to Him, simply talk with Him, ask him for comfort....Prayer is so powerful! It's important to remember that we have to pray about everything, not just the bad stuff. We can't just pray when things are going wrong, it has to be all the time!

It comes down to this simple fact; If you don't pray, you can't continue to grow in Christ. Sure, you might know alot about Him and His word. But without talking to Him, you just cannot keep growing in Him. Accepting and understanding this fact is crucial, and I say that with certainty. Another thing to remember, is it has to be sincere and heartfelt. You can't just say "Dear God, You are the source of my strength. Forgive me of the bad stuff I do....now let me win the lottery!" It has to be about Him. You'll find that the more you try to seek Him, the more powerful your prayers will become. There's my 2 cents...

Ephesians 6:18
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."