Musings on prayer

 

"Prayer is about practicing the presence, not mastering the mechanics"

The end goal of prayer is not answers to requests: that's a mid-term goal. The final goal is a relationship. Prayer is a relationship-building tool.

What does this mean for us Christians?

In scriptures, instantaneous answers to prayers weren't the norm. Every supernatural response was a result of someone talking with God for a while, long before the answer manifested. We must get comfortable with waiting in His presence: the cycle of speaking and listening.

You may have noticed you got quick answers to prayers earlier in your Christian walk. That happened because God wanted you to build confidence in Him. That approach stops working after a while because God doesn't want us to see Him as a prayer ATM. He wants to be a Father to us.

The above is not because God is narcissistic (as some think). This is because there's a bigger mission at stake - the love mission. He wants you to join in fulfilling His love mandate of John 3:16. That many come to enjoy the blessing of redemption, of salvation.

We must practice His presence. Get close to Him and understand His nature: attributes, likes & dislikes. This is how we build relationships. Know what brings Him closer and what repels Him. Common repellants to God's presence are pride (James 4:6) and unconfessed sin (Isaiah 59:1-2).

We aren't saved to flex on abundance (luxury cars and homes, high-flying careers, beautiful spouses & healthy families). Sadly, many think this is the goal. It's bigger than that:

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained us to walk in."