Welcome back, my dear brothers and sisters, to the topic of prayer in a Christian's life!
(If you missed Part One, make sure you read it first, so we're all on the same page.)
Let's dive right in, shall we? Reasons four through seven, here we go:
4.) We should pray to seek opportunities to serve God and others.
President John F. Kennedy hit the nail on the head in his inaugural address when he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country". In other words, being a citizen isn't all about having certain rights; it's also about fulfilling civic duties and carrying out responsibilities to your country and your fellow citizens.
In elementary school (probably first or second grade), my class wrote letters to Santa as a class assignment, since we had been learning letter-writing skills and Christmastime was approaching. Before we were allowed to dive into the writing process, though, Mrs. Smith put a spin on the assignment: don't make the whole letter about what you want for Christmas! Ask how Mrs. Claus is doing. Ask if the reindeer prefer carrots or celery, and what kind of cookies Santa would like. And be sure to thank him for what you got last Christmas. We couldn't just write a page-long "gimme gimme" list; we had to actually show interest in what we could do for ol' Saint Nick too.
And guess what? Prayer ain't all about "gimme gimme" time either! Nor is it all about asking what God can do for us. Brothers and sisters, it's time to ask God what we can do for Him! Is there someone new to your church family whom you can fellowship and welcome? Is there someone at your school or workplace who needs to hear your witness? Or is there something in your life you need to start doing (or stop doing) so that the Lord would be more pleased with you? Well, don't ask me! I live in a computer screen! Ask God, who knows His plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11) and knows exactly what it is that you can do in your life for Him.
5.) We should pray to better understand the world, the Scriptures, and God's plans for us.
Have you ever heard a man complain about what a mystery women are? When I was a freshman in high school, my boyfriend at the time (who's now a Marine) used to tell me all the time that I'm impossible to figure out. The things I did and said often made very little sense to him.
You know what I told him in response to that? "Well Peter, if you'd just ask me what I'm thinking, I'd tell you!" So, from then on, he did ask. Sometimes, I would have to say "it's a girl thing; you wouldn't get it" or something like that. But for the most part, if he asked with the intent to understand (rather than to argue), I was more than happy to explain what was going on in my estrogen-filled head.
And have you heard that saying "God Moves in Mysterious Ways"? (I think there's a hymn too, with that same title.) Well, it's true. He does. Sometimes things happen that seem so out-of-the-blue, so contrary to what we believe, or just downright confusing, and you just want to look up at the sky and go "Okay, what the heck was that all about, Lord?"
But you have to realize that sometimes, when we ask God about His purposes, He can't really explain it right then and there, because we wouldn't understand. Just like Peter would have to be a woman to understand why watching sad movies and crying actually makes women feel better, we would have to be God to understand why God does some of the things He does. And in those cases, we just have to accept God's will, just like Jesus did in his final hours when he said, "Not My will, but Thy will be done." (Luke 22:41-43). God knows the plans He has for us (I refer you again to Jeremiah 29:11) and His knowledge is perfect. We have to learn to trust that even if He chooses not to reveal His will, it is still flawless and for our betterment in some way.
But sometimes, if we ask with the proper intent and with our whole hearts, God will say, "Okay, sure. Here's what's going on here..." (Okay, so that's not an exact quote from the Father, but you get what I mean.)Actually, if you'd like an exact quote, try the book of James, verse 1:5: "If any among you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." (Upbraid, by the way, isn't some funky new hairdo. It's a verb, and it means to scold or reproach someone.) In other words, much whatever you want to know, God will help you figure it out.
Oh, but there is a warning there. James 1:6 says, "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea." Remember what I said about having the proper intent and mindset for prayer? You can't just ask God what's going on and expect Him to answer just because you asked. You have to ask in faith, with every fiber of your being aware that the Lord is good, and His intentions are good. Part of faith is being willing to accept that God may not reveal His purposes to you. You just have to trust Him.
The same goes for understanding the Scriptures. The Scriptures are there to bear witness of God and explain His nature and purposes. But there are parts of the Bible that even leading theological experts, and people who have spent years and years in seminary, can't understand fully. There are some things we will never totally get a handle on until after this life, when we're able to ask Him face to face. While we're not meant to understand every nook and cranny of God's word, we are all capable of understanding it better tomorrow than we do today.
6.) We should pray to thank God for blessings in our lives.
"Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore."
Isn't that a pretty hymn? It's called "Now Thank We All Our God". It's a little old-school, but I really like it. It sets a great example of where our hearts and minds should be when we pray. We should always thank God for the blessings He gives us in our daily lives.
In times when we don't feel so blessed, we should pray to be reminded of all the blessings we have. Even when we're down, we have so much to be thankful for. Even when our lives are hard and the way seems unclear, and even in the darkest moments when we may wonder if God is even there at all, we must remember that He has blessed us so much. He gave us His Son to die for us, and He loves us so dearly. He has prepared a place for us in Heaven to live with Him forever. What more blessings could we ask for?
7.) We should pray because we love God and want to be close to Him.
My dad sometimes gives me a hard time about the amount of time I spend with my best friend. And whenever we aren't together, we're usually yakking on the phone with each other! We definitely go out of our way to spend time with each other and be together whenever we can. Why? Because we love each other! And it's important to us to spend time in each other's company.
As Christians, we love God, and He loves us. So shouldn't we want to spend time in His company? Shouldn't we desire to come to Him and be with Him? Shouldn't we want to spend quality time with Him? When we pray, we can be with Him and talk with Him. What a precious gift! Take time often to be with the Lord, and savor every moment of it.
Well, there you have it, brothers and sisters: seven reasons why prayer is vital to Christian life. I hope this has been an enlightening lesson for you personally, and that it has inspired you to spend more time seeking the Lord in prayer.
Be strong, and don't forget to pray.
~BYR
