Prayer is a big word. But most Christians understand it as synonymous with request. And that is how the secular world understands it also. In fact in court litigations, when a Lawyer submits his affidavit or the counter affidavit, they include a section there which is entitled the Prayer clause. And it is written there the remedy that the Affiant seeks the Court to rule in his favor. And prayer is easily understood in that light. And so we come to God to ask for something. When we don’t have anything to ask, we don’t go to Him. And that’s basically the prayer life of most Christians.
Mat 20:20-21 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. (21) And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."
The Lord’s only answer is, You do not know what you ask. Because we have a wrong idea about prayer we end up asking things we don’t even understand. We tend to think that if we just ask God, we can make Him do the things that we want. Like when you drop those raffle tickets for that Landcruiser at the grocery shop, you pray to God, Lord, nothing is impossible for You, please let me win this one. I hope none of you prays like that. And if you don’t pray like that, from whom do you hope for when you dropped those raffle tickets? By chance? Is there really such a thing as chance? Does God let anything happen by chance? Or when we pray to God, do we think that maybe by chance the Lord will answer us? I don’t think God will be pleased with that.
We’re doing it like this: “Dad, I need 10 bucks.” And then we run away after that. But what if we don’t receive the 10 bucks. What would you do? That job that you are praying for, what if it doesn’t come to pass?
Prayer in all its simplicity means communion with God. We would benefit more if we just stay there, quiet, still, waiting on God. Request should not be attached to prayer. When we ask, believe that we received them, and it should not be longer than that.
The Father is rich, He wouldn’t mind the things that we take away with us. What He is concerned about is whether we are building up ourselves to attain maturity, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. It is to this end that we should look at prayer.
We come to God to know more of Him, reflecting on His words, meditating; receiving understanding, instruction and guidance through visions and revelations. That’s where prayer becomes powerful.
We would benefit more if in our prayers, we let God do the talking. But it doesn’t end there. After that God has talked to us, the normal effect is that we would get fired up! And we would stand up on our feet and prophesy! And these things that come out of your mouth, they would easily come to pass.
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