Purpose Driven Prayer
Is prayer an integral part of your life?
Prayer should be one of the most defining characteristics of us as Christians. We should strive to be known by our willingness to pray, no matter the time, the place, or the circumstances. Prayer for many of us has become something we just do, another task amongst the myriad of demands on our busy lives. I have been guilty of not praying as often and as earnestly as I should, and it is something that I'm still working to improve upon.
Once I was under the impression that prayer was only formal, I've realized that it can be less formal and more personable. Don't get me wrong; there still has to be a sense of reverence, because when we pray, we are entering the Holy of Holies and ultimately inviting the Presence of God to fall upon us as we seek His face. That said, it comes back to that personal relationship that He wants to have with us as His children. Formal prayer still has a place and is always pleasing to our Father in heaven, but His longing for us to know Him intimately can not be overlooked. He wishes to commune with His children, and when you define commune, you can begin to understand what it is to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Prayer should be one of the most defining characteristics of us as Christians. We should strive to be known by our willingness to pray, no matter the time, the place, or the circumstances. Prayer for many of us has become something we just do, another task amongst the myriad of demands on our busy lives. I have been guilty of not praying as often and as earnestly as I should, and it is something that I'm still working to improve upon.
Once I was under the impression that prayer was only formal, I've realized that it can be less formal and more personable. Don't get me wrong; there still has to be a sense of reverence, because when we pray, we are entering the Holy of Holies and ultimately inviting the Presence of God to fall upon us as we seek His face. That said, it comes back to that personal relationship that He wants to have with us as His children. Formal prayer still has a place and is always pleasing to our Father in heaven, but His longing for us to know Him intimately can not be overlooked. He wishes to commune with His children, and when you define commune, you can begin to understand what it is to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.
To commune with someone is to: converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc., interchange thoughts or feelings, or to be in intimate communication or rapport (cited from dictionary.com).
After reading the meaning of the word commune, prayer is not meant to be a one-sided conversation. You know the type of conversation I'm talking about, it's like that phone call you get, and you look at the caller ID and say, "oh Lord, do I answer or let it go to voicemail?" All the while, knowing that you have just prolonged the inevitable, and once you have to take the call or see them in person, you will NEVER be able to get a word in or be able to get away from the conversation with your sanity intact. I have a prime and quite humorous example of this.
After reading the meaning of the word commune, prayer is not meant to be a one-sided conversation. You know the type of conversation I'm talking about, it's like that phone call you get, and you look at the caller ID and say, "oh Lord, do I answer or let it go to voicemail?" All the while, knowing that you have just prolonged the inevitable, and once you have to take the call or see them in person, you will NEVER be able to get a word in or be able to get away from the conversation with your sanity intact. I have a prime and quite humorous example of this.
My wife's phone has a mind of its own, I kid you not, it calls people out of the blue with her nowhere near it, but this time it took the cake and ate it too! She was on the phone with my sister and an incoming call came in, she looked to see who it was (let's use the name John to protect the caller's true identity so that someone might answer their call in the future). She decided she didn't want to talk to John, saying to who she thought was my sister in a very derogatory voice: "ah man, it's John." Unbeknownst to her, the phone had decided to switch to the incoming call, and John was on the line and proceeded to repeat her very words back to her. She felt so little at that moment, and you can only imagine where the conversation went from there.
Now let's switch the roles up a little and say that we are making the call, and God is the person we are calling. Are we the phone call that God looks at the caller ID and says: "ah man it's (insert your name here)" or are we the phone call that God has anticipation for? Prayer is meant to be communion between God and us, not just rattling off what we need and what we want, only to say amen afterward and be on our way. We are to talk with Him in such a way that He can respond to us and speak to our hearts, sharing our thoughts and feelings with the One who created us.
Now let's switch the roles up a little and say that we are making the call, and God is the person we are calling. Are we the phone call that God looks at the caller ID and says: "ah man it's (insert your name here)" or are we the phone call that God has anticipation for? Prayer is meant to be communion between God and us, not just rattling off what we need and what we want, only to say amen afterward and be on our way. We are to talk with Him in such a way that He can respond to us and speak to our hearts, sharing our thoughts and feelings with the One who created us.
Sometimes we don't even have to say a word; we can step out of the way and let the Holy Spirit guide us in prayer, for God knows our heart's desires long before we can name them for ourselves. Not only does He know our heart's desires, but He is already working in our circumstances long before we realize the circumstances we are in. We all should make our prayer purposeful, giving God our undivided attention and, in turn, letting Him speak to our hearts. I want to be the caller (praying child of God) that God longs to hear from and longs to talk to. I want to hear His voice speaking His direction over my life and into my heart regularly.
When we step past the formality to get on a personal level with Him and then aim to listen for His voice when we pray, His awesome power will be revealed in our lives. When God speaks, it's not something to dismiss as mere happenstance, it's to be taken with complete and utter reverence. He is the Creator of all things big and small, and His very presence demands humility and respect, thus making His voice what we should desire to hear more than anything else in our lives.
Listen to my cry for help, my God and king! I pray to you, O Lord; you hear my voice in the morning; at sunrise, I offer my prayer and wait for your answer. (Psalm 5:2-3 GNT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ, Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)
When we step past the formality to get on a personal level with Him and then aim to listen for His voice when we pray, His awesome power will be revealed in our lives. When God speaks, it's not something to dismiss as mere happenstance, it's to be taken with complete and utter reverence. He is the Creator of all things big and small, and His very presence demands humility and respect, thus making His voice what we should desire to hear more than anything else in our lives.
Listen to my cry for help, my God and king! I pray to you, O Lord; you hear my voice in the morning; at sunrise, I offer my prayer and wait for your answer. (Psalm 5:2-3 GNT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ, Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)
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