I want to talk to you a little bit about prayer today. I’m going to try to be reasonable but I may come across as a bit of a Pentecostal. That’s not to say that Pentecostals are unreasonable but sometimes they are misunderstood. I’m not into the prosperity gospel or one of those name it and claim it types either. Stick with me and I think you’ll get my point though.
You are probably familiar with the phrase: “it’s not what you know but who.”
I’ve heard this saying many times over the years. Sometimes it’s used as a put down against somebody that got something that was desired by another. Sometimes I’ve heard it used as a reminder that there are times that a relationship is more important than an education or a particular kind of knowledge. When we use it it will undoubtedly stir up some kind of emotion or reaction.
So how does this relate to prayer? That’s a good question.
So can we agree that prayer is talking to God? That’s what I believe it is. There are a lot of different ways to pray but in the end they are all ways for us to get our thoughts and feelings and needs expressed to Him. While we are praying (talking to God) we are building a relationship with Him. I believe this is an important part of prayer this relationship building. While we pray we ought to find our will coming into alignment with His. The more we do this the stronger the relationship will be. I think this I the reason we are told over and over to be in constant prayer. But don’t do all the talking. I’ll talk about that in another post.
I want you to understand how important this relationship building is. I have a lot of opportunities to pray with and for many people. All to often when people come for prayer they have waited until the last minute. Many times people have come to me asking for me to pray for somebody that has been diagnosed with some terrible condition that will likely lead if not to that person’s death at least to some catastrophic problems or side effects. They come asking me to pray for healing or salvation or both. I pray as requested but sometimes wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to have been praying before things got so bad.
I guess what I’m saying is don’t wait until things are going sideways to pray about something. If you’re healthy talk to God about that. Thank Him for it and ask that you continue to stay healthy. That way when you are feeling bad you’ve established a relationship and have something to talk about. Build some momentum in your prayer life and you will see more victories. Victory builds faith which is key to effective prayer. Remember to that the glory for answered prayer needs to go to the right place. If you are praying for good health and taking vitamin C don’t tell people that you’re healthy because of the vitamin but give the glory to God for the answered prayers.
My prayer for you today is that you begin building a better relationship with the one that matters most. Let Him provide for you in all the little ways. It really is better to never need a miracle than to rely on one.
prayersandpowerchords 