More Than A Wish List

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17: 20 - 24 NKJV

Our group has been contemplating the question lately of if the prayer of Christ we find in John 17 was answered by the Father.  While at first it may seem that His request may not have yet been realized, I am of the opinion that it has been.  The apostle Paul assures us of this in Galations.  For that prayer of Christ was that we, those who follow Him, would be one with He and the Father.  One, as He and the Father are one.  This is now the union we enjoy with Christ Jesus in us today {Galations 2:20}.  Wayne Jacobsen waded into the topic of prayer this week as well.  So, are our prayers simply part of our supply line to God as we make known our wishes and desires to Him?  Are we to come before the Lord only in times of need?  I feel that the best way to answer this ages old question is to look at prayer through the eyes of He who prayed for us in the garden that night.  How did Jesus look at His own prayers?  We know that He spent a good amount of time in prayer to the Father, for this is what scriptures tell us.  But did Jesus see His own communication with God as prayers, or is this simply something hundreds of years of mans teaching has told us?  I am of the opinion that those prayers of Christ were not simply prayers, but communication with the Father.  Jesus was talking to the Father.  It seems simple to see, as Jesus and the Father were one, would there not be communication between them?  I think so.  Did Jesus come to the Father simply whenever He needed something?  No, He talked to the Father on a regular basis, perhaps even daily.  These were more than just simple requests on Jesus' part.

15Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18the eyes of your funderstanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
Ephesians 1: 15 - 19 NKJV

It is my belief that our prayers are more than seeking our desires from God, so much more.  For it is through our own prayers that we find ourselves in communication with our heavenly Father.  We can learn alot from Jesus when it comes to our own prayers.  In fact, since it is Christ who lives through us, it is Jesus who speaks through us as we pray {Matthew 10:19}.  Also, we should never worry about how our own prayers sound.  I don't think that our Lord is that concerend with such things.  His joy comes from that union and communication we have with Him.  This is why I believe that the prayer of Jesus in the garden has indeed been answered.  For we are now, through Christ Jesus, one with He and the Father.  Despite what many a pulpit pounder may tell us, I don't believe that there is any "right way" we should pray.  We might talk with God in the morning before the worries of the world take hold of our day, or we may communicate with Him throughout our day.  The truth is, any time we are in communication with the Father is time well spent.  We don't need to worry if He will not somehow realize our own needs even if we don't mention them in prayer.  He already knows what it is that we desire and need.
There was a time when I struggled in my prayers.  I would find myself rambling on about what I felt I needed, apolagizing for one thing or another, I was a mess.  I found  my prayer time to be pretty stressful.  What if God did not hear me?  What if He was mad at me and wouldn't answer?  Folks, all of these negative feelings we may have about our own prayers are unfounded.  He delights in union and communication with His children.  He delights in you.

~Scott~