The title of this blog is the flashiest it gets. It's not the "chain breaking prayer" the "world changing prayer" just a prayer.
I grew up as a pastors kid and my dad had strong convictions on prayer. From 16-18 I prayed daily with him from about 6AM to 12PM. that being said I've said my fair share of meaningless prayers just to say I prayed.
I decided to title this "A Prayer" because more often than not our prayers are met with what feels like silence. It's not an every day occurrence that we are rattling the gates of hell and seeing dead people come to life. What typically happens is we fracture our lived experience into disconnected compartments, a process that wreaks havoc on our spiritual formation. We go all in at the revival night at church and we are "really praying" but then go about our week without the utterance of a single prayer aside from blessing our food.
How do we walk with integrity in our prayer life? Integrity is wholeness (integer = whole number), all parts of our lives integrated and reflective of our communion with Christ is the only true way to walk with the spirit.
"All things else being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives. In the long pull we pray only as well as we live. Some prayers are like a fire escape, used only in times of critical emergency—never very enjoyable, but used as a way of terrified escape from disaster. They do not represent the regular life of the one who offers them; rather they are the unusual and uncommon acts of the spiritual amateur." – A.W. Tozer [1]
So where do we go from here? Should you pray more? Should you pray louder or less? Should you pray to avoid traffic on the way to work or should our prayers always be about the deepest issues in our lives?
#1 - A sincere prayer is met with acceptance
Not every prayer you pray will be answered. Example: I prayed for 1 million dollars and still do not have it. (Lol)
"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." [2]
The key here is asking in his name. I don't mean ending every prayer with "in Jesus' name" but sincerely asking so that His name may be glorified. All of our prayers, investments, giving, and love is (or should be) done in an ultimate effort to glorify the Father. A sincere prayer means praying in a way where your heart is aligned with the heart of the father
#2 - Nothing is accomplished without prayer
The same way that nothing should be done in a marriage without communication between husband and wife - if we are truly walking in wholeness with God then nothing we do would be done without prayer. This doesn't mean we stop and pray before we are going out to dinner saying "God where do you want to eat tonight," but it is that we pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). So when decisions arise and when we are faced with hardship we are already built up because we have not left the presence of God.
"Prayer is that essential quality that divides people of great anointing from those of mediocre ministry." – Larry Titus [3]
#3 - It's not about time
If you read the opening paragraph to this blog you will know I have done the time. I will be the first to admit I was in prayer daily, but my life looked the same. Still in sin and still struggling in my walk with God.
"How is your spiritual life going?" I used to answer this question by looking at the state of my devotional activities: Did I pray and read the Bible enough today? The problem is that by this measure the Pharisees always win." - John Ortberg [4]
It's about our lives. The mother of 3 who is going from school to work to soccer practice only to go back home and make dinner most definitely does not have an extra few hours for prayer. Resident doctors in America are expected to spend up to 80 hours a week in the hospital and work single shifts that will last up to 28 hours. There is no room for a 2 hour prayer session that day. The pastor who is in and out of meetings with congregants and staff members, studying for a sermon, while managing a family may not have an extra 3 hours to pray every day.
Our prayers ultimately are a part of our lives. The mother, doctor, and pastor don't have all day to be in "prayer warrior mode," but they do have a drive to school where a prayer can be said with the kids, a walk to the next patients room, or a drive to the next meeting. These are THE moments where we can re-align ourselves with heaven even if it's a 30 second prayer.
The only appropriate way to end this is the same way it opened. A prayer.
Lord help me to pray. Even if my prayers feel repetitive, it is better to repeat than to just not talk to You. Lord help me to pray. Show me the moments I have throughout my day where I can commune with You. Lord help me to pray. Show me how I can be consistent and faithful in my prayer walk. Lord help me to live. Because I understand now that prayer should be a part of the life You've given me.
Amen.
- Carsten Frasier, Creative Director at Kingdom Global Ministries
[1] Prayer: Communing with God in Everything--Collected Insights from A. W. Tozer
[2] John 14:13-14
[3] Observations By Larry Titus
[4] The Me I Want to Be By John Ortberg
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