The Issue Of Prayer

 

Now, similarly, the spirit is also aiding our infirmity, for what we should be praying for, to accord with what must be, we are not aware, but the spirit itself is pleading for us with inarticulate groanings. 

Paul To The Romans 8: 26, Concordant New Testament 

If there is one subject which has been pontificated about more than others by Christian pastors and authors alike it's the issue of prayer.  What is it?  How do we do it effectively?  Is God really listening?  Now, I could point to many a verse relating to prayer in order to answer some of these burning questions, but I feel that a true understanding of prayer centers around our own understanding of where we stand in regards to the Father.  Is God simply a bystander in life, or is He something more than that?  Many pastors will attempt to preach to us that God is simply a sounding board for our repeated requests.  That His response to our prayers depends entirely on our conduct.  I have prayed for and over many things in my life, and there has been many a time where I've felt defeated simply because I behaved as I shouldn't.  Inevitably I would do something wrong and my prayer requests went out the window.  Is that how God works?  Some years ago I would have said yes, but knowing what I now understand of my Father, I will never again agree with that statement.  First off, how is it that you see God?  If your image of God is that of a detached observer to life, then your idea of prayer and mine will not be the same.  If, however, you see yourself as one with Christ Jesus and the Father, then you will began to truly appreciate the full intent of prayer {Johns Account 17:21}.  One with Jesus and the Father?  Is that even possible?  Jesus Himself proclaimed that indeed it is.  The apostle Paul took this a step further when he spoke of the indwelling Christ living in him {Paul To The Galatians 2:20}.  For Paul, life as he knew it no longer existed, all that remained was Christ Jesus {Paul To The Philippians 1:21}.  When we live our lives in this understanding of the Father, prayer ceases to be a wish list and becomes more of a personal conversation with The Father in us.  This might fly in the face of many a mainstream church goer, but that does not mean that it's not true.  Again, it all depends on what your relationship with the Father is like.  

For me to be living is Christ, and to be dying, gain.

Paul To The Philippians 1: 21, Concordant New Testament 

For much of my life, my own idea of prayer centered around how God saw me.  If I believed that He saw me as unfaithful, I believed that my prayers would go unheard.  This was the thought drilled into me by the institutional church.  These are the same folks who turned the idea of prayer on its ear with their "Name it and claim it" philosophy.  The idea was that we Christians were inherently good people who followed the One true God.  Therefore, the Father would certainly reward those who called upon him {Marks Account 11:24}.  Pastors continually toss around scriptures which supposedly tell us that God will answer all of our requests.  However, has anyone ever considered what the Fathers outlook on prayer is?  Are we too busy with our own wish lists that we fail to see how He sees our prayers?  I believe that the Fathers idea of prayer and ours will often be different.  I believe that our Father views prayer as our personal conversations with Him.  These conversations are not always requests, but our heart felt conversations with God.  We might pray about how our day went, or how we're feeling.  But, doesn't God already know what we will pray to Him about?  Of course!  But what Father does not enjoy hearing from his children?  God created us in His image {Genesis 1:27}.  As Paul tells us, it is the Father who dwells in us.  Not only does He know what we will pray for, He delights in hearing from us {Proverbs 15:8}.  Again ,this fly's in the face of what we have been told about prayer from those in the institutional church.  For the church business model and filling pews is deemed far more important than speaking the truth of who the Father truly is in us.  As I said, depending on your view of the Father, my view of prayer and yours would be different.  Whatever your view of prayer, however, the Father delights in hearing from His children.  

Now He told them a parable also, so that they must always be praying and not be despondent. 

Lukes Account 18: 1, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~