RE-ENERGIZING MY PRAYER LIFE

  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  1 John 5:14  

I ask myself, “How do I know what the will of God is, and if I knew it, how could I act upon it in my life?”  

In answering this question, I want to examine the purpose of prayer.  Praying to God allows me to talk to God and tell Him what’s on my mind.  I may bring a wish list before God at times, but that is not the essence of prayer.  Prayer is the formation of a relationship between God and me.  If I view it only as Someone to turn to when I want something, then I have lost its true meaning.  It’s like a child who only talks to his parents when he wants something; that is not the essence of a relationship.  Instead, I think of the parent holding the child when he is hurt, giving him love and comfort.  That’s a good picture of what prayer is meant to be.  

When I pray, it is not that I tell God anything He doesn’t know.  So, when I pray, I will keep these things in mind:  

1. Prayer releases the fear and worry of the unknown from my mind to the mind of Christ.  “Come to Me, all you labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).  

2. Prayer intercedes for the burdens of other souls before God so I can form the mind of Christ about them.  I don’t pray to change God’s mind, but to learn His mind (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, March 31^st entry).    

3. As my mind begins to understand God’s will in my life or the life of another, I begin to start to understand God’s mind.  

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS

If I want to re-energize my prayer life, I will change the way I pray.  “Nevertheless not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).  I can pray for a certain outcome, but I can also pray for a better outcome than I could ever fathom, which is for God’s will to be done.  

• Instead of praying for a new car, I can pray to God that His will would be done in resolving my transportation problems.  

• Instead of praying for my irritable neighbor to move, I can pray that God’s will would be done in my neighbor’s life.  

• Instead of praying for God to change my spouse or child, I can pray that God’s will would be done in their lives.  

Lord, I desire to change the way I pray to focus on You more than I focus on my needs, and give You credit for being sovereign over the things I try to control.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.