I would like to start a discussion about our prayer life. I believe that for a person or for a church to be healthy they need a solid view of prayer and a solid prayer life.
So, to start the discussion, I want to ask some questions.
What is your view of prayer? What is it for? What is the reason we do it?
Where do you pray? Is it important where you pray?
How often do you pray? Is your frequency important?
What do you expect to get from prayer? Do you have an agenda or a product you are after in prayer?
What is God's part in prayer? Is God an active participant in prayer?
These are just some questions to start our thinking and our discussion. I will try to respond from time to time to the comments made on the blog. You may tackle all of the questions of one of the questions as the Lord lays thoughts on your mind.
Thanks for participating in this open discussion.
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When Quoting Scripture Inflicts Harm
6 years ago
9 comments:
Hi Ray...
For me prayer is a way to be in touch with God, especially to listen for God's voice...I pray individually at the beginning, middle and end of the day, and corporately with others at other times....But it is in small groups of 2-6 where I seem to be most able to empty myself and make space for God's holy spirit to flow through me...
Recently I have practiced an extended hour of prayer at noontime, beginning with the daily lectionary readings from the old and new testaments....I follow this with a time of reflection and prayer about them....I conclude with listening for God, then responding to God....The thought that at any point during the day or night I can connect with God, and that others around the world are in prayer, too, is tremendously awe inspiring... Through prayer I am encouraged that God's kingdom is truly at hand.
Prayer is used as a friendship between God and I. Sometimes I just sit and chat, and sometimes I am on my knees asking for a blessing.
I pray all throughtout the day. No really set agenda, Just every couple of minutes. I have trained myself that way so that God is always on my mind.
Prayer breaks wall, Prayer donimates Satan, and prayer builds structure.
What is your view of prayer?
I've always thought that prayer was supposed to be a conversation. The difficulty though is to avoid seeing God in terms of "Buddy-Jesus", but to maintain perspective, that prayer is ultimately to deepen relationship.
Where do you pray?
I don't pray anymore. My prayer life dried up about 5 years ago, so I guess the answer to this is "nowhere". I know though that Christians are supposed to pray "everywhere".
How often do you pray?
When I did pray, I tended to do so as situations arose, instead of setting time aside to pray. If God was supposed to be with me at all times, it would make more sense to pray (set focus on his perspective,. counsel, etc) on an ad-hoc basis, rather than waiting until a set time of day.
As I stated above, I don't pray anymore though.
What do you expect to get from prayer?
I think the only thing we could reasonably expect is that we are heard. Anything else would be like placing demands on God, or setting conditions with Him.
What is God's part in prayer?
To draw near, to be, to listen.
I guess this all sounds a bit hypocritical, but it's honest.
Prayer is a good topic of conversation, there's so many how's and why's, everyone has their own way and expectation. Mine are pretty basic. View of prayer: absolutely essential, can't be done without, would be lost without it. Where? Everywhere and anywhere, and how often goes along with it......all the time. Just a running dialog with my Papa, couldn't do without that all day long. Expect to get. Communication with a dear friend and loved one, peace, love, friendship, guidance, happiness. He gives it all, I get it all. What's God's part. His part is to give me the assurance that He's always there. I believe he answers prayer, not like a great big vending machine in the sky, not like a Santa Claus in the next world, but according to His plan for our walk here on earth. If I'm praying for something for myself, peace, guidance, things like that, I really expect to get that. Other things like healing, life changes for others, well, that's different. I know that God answers, but his answer can be no, can be wait, and can be yes. I've had all of those answers at one time or another. Something that gives me some comfort is the Communion of Saints, which i believe in. I feel confident that i have my beloved saints who have gone on before me helping me in prayer, so even if I can't contact a earthly friend, I know I have heavenly friends helping me ask my Papa for help for others and for myself. I don't know how I could live a day without prayer, not a formal kind of prayer, I'm not so good with that, actually, I don't even know what that means. I do like to meditate on formal prayers like the Our Father and even the first part of the Hail Mary, and especially the Apoltles Creed, that's a great way to go to sleep, actually. LOL So, that's how I feel about prayer.
I believe prayer is all about an intimate relationship with God. I believe too often our prayers are all about us and our wants, not even our needs. It is too often centered on the pie in the sky instead of on deepening our realtionship with God. God has promised to fulfill our needs and to give us everything we ask for when we ask in His will. Romans 12:2 tells us that we will know God's perfect will by removing the worldy things, desires, and renew our minds in Christ. We should spend time with God, privately, according to Jesus when he spoke about the pattern of prayer in Matthew 6:6. Just some thoughts on prayer today.
For me personally, I would never dream of ever leaving my house without having been on my knees (literally with head bowed) in reverence to God - asking Him to equip me hour by hour - moment by moment - within that particular day.
I follow with listening to the Holy Spirit my personal learning instructions as I read His word.
I will petition Him with a few requests and usually somewhere during my morning worship I pray in my "prayer language" (in tongues) Therefore, when I am done and leave my prayer closet ...
I feel ready, fortified, and equipped with my full armour on for the "spiritual battles" that that day will bring - confident only that Jesus and the Holy Spirit will assist me all day long to be faithful to please God and to find favor with man in the process (the finding favor may not always happen but that I will leave that person in God's hands to take care of).
I will rehearse my scripture verse a few times and meditate on it within the day.
I will have read at least one chapter from the old and new testament.
Then I begin fulfilling my responsibilities and conquering my challenges in faith & trust... as I walk in His Spirit - through the day.
I pray and ask God to show me that He is with me, tears start to flow down on my face.
Sometimes I have my doubts but I just want to know the truth about our God.
The Bible says, Trust in the lord with all your heart do not depend on your own understanding seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths.
To Anonymous...
Do you realize that if you take what you have written in this Blog and read it out loud God is listening? He heard your words when you wrote them.
He knows your heart. He knows your problems. You say your prayer life is dried, up. That is what Satan would like you to believe. He is trying to keep you away from God. He is trying to make you believe that only the “good” Christians talk to God. That is not so. In 1 Timothy 2:1 it says to pray first. Do this before you do anything else.
God hears you. Try to set a time, if only for a few minutes to talk with Him. And when you don’t want to pray, just tell Him that – He’s listening – He knows you. And in time your prayers and communication with Him will come back. You will be strengthened by the trust that you have in him.
We all must make choices. God gave us free will to make those choices. To know him and trust him or become strangers to him.
What is your view of prayer? What is it for? What is the reason we do it?
My view of prayer is that it is communication with God; sometimes it is for praise, sometimes it is for supplication; all I know is that prayer is for everything from the most mundane, "What am I going to wear today, Lord?" to "Jesus, please heal my child." I use prayer for everything. It is time to talk and commune with my Creator.
Where do you pray? Is it important where you pray?
I have my dedicated prayer time in the sunroom. I have a special place where I have my coffee, read my devotionals and Bible and I can look out our beautiful, gigantic atrium window and feel like I'm in God's cathedral as I look up to heaven and see the beautiful clouds, blue sky, or blessed rain. It isn't important where you pray, just as long as you do it. Sometimes I'm praying while I do the dishes, put in another load of laundry or yes, even while changing a stinky diaper. I pray when I'm driving and I pray over each family member as they head out into the world.
How often do you pray? Is your frequency important?
I can't put a time on how much I pray. I don't know for sure. I do know I get nearly an hour in the morning as long as the children are cooperative. The rest is scattered intermittently throughout the day.
What do you expect to get from prayer? Do you have an agenda or a product you are after in prayer?
I expect and know God will hear me and provide for me whatever is best. My prayer starts with praise and thanks and yes, sometimes I do pray for a specific thing; but the prayer always ends with, "if it's your will."
I do ask for specific answers to problems or needs. I am always answered; the key is not necessarily what I want or in my time frame. I'm praying now for a very specific solution to a need in our lives and I am praying for an answer in a specific time frame. If my prayers get answered according to my requests, great; if not, I know God has something better planned in a better time frame.
One of my best examples of prayer was when I was about seven years old. My cat was pregnant with kittens; my father gave me a nearly impossible promise, that I could keep all of the kittens as long as there were only two of them and they were both males. Cats have litters of kittens, rarely just two. I think the odds of that happening were nearly impossible, but I prayed so hard every day specifically asking God to bless Snowball with two kittens and both males.
Much to my father's dismay, he came home from work one day to a very happy daughter who announced that Snowball had her kittens and there were only two of them and they were both males! I got to keep the cats and my father was very cautious about what he promised in the future.
Later, my prayers were answered in a much bigger way--three beautiful, healthy sons after being told we would not be able to have children unless we took scientific intervention. None of that happened--God just blessed us abundantly without going to the lab.
What is God's part in prayer? Is God an active participant in prayer?
God has a part in prayer; He has a part in everything; He chooses to answer us according to His divine plan.
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