Someone has written, “All that true prayer seeks is God Himself, for with Him we get all we need.” And, in another place I recently read, “Praying only has two steps: ‘God’s glory and God’s grace.” When you pray, what are your motives? This is an important question, because if we “ask wrongly,” our prayers will not be answered, James 4.3.
Prayer is a great blessing and a source of comfort for those who have a relationship with God. We must always be mindful of the nature of our relationship with God. He does not exist to be our servant, we exist to be God’s servant. God is our Father, not our servant. We must never approach Him as though it is His obligation to do as we instruct Him to do. We did not make God, He made us. We are subject to His will and need to be praying for His purposes to be carried out. If we only use prayer as a vehicle to have God carry out our wants and interests, we do not understand the nature of God or our relationship with Him. God is not dependent upon us, we are dependent upon Him. For everything. Nothing in this life can come to pass without Him.
There are many things that happen to us in life that we do not understand. We have a limited viewpoint. God is all knowing and is able see the entire picture. When we pray and do not receive an answer that we want, it can be tempting to turn on God and become angry with Him. Isaiah wrote, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55.8-9. Never conclude that when terrible things happen in your life that God is not at work. He is always there and always cares for us. He is not causing the terrible things; He is working through those things to advance your relationship with Him. When we go through the most trying times in life, God is doing His most powerful work. When we go to God in prayer, we must approach Him with praise and thanksgiving for who He is, and humbly take our request to Him. Then, we need to accept His answer with gratitude and give the glory to God. “Where there is prayer, there is power, and where there is worship, there is hope.”
During September, the Christians at Kettering Church of Christ are focusing on prayer. We are praying for our congregation, our families, the elderly, young people, and our efforts on reaching those in our community with the gospel. Can we pray for you? Can we help you begin your relationship with Christ? We want to encourage you to visit our services tomorrow. You will be warmly welcomed and find a place where God is the focus of worship. Come and see.
Download PDF of Article
Related posts
- A Model Prayer
- Prayer and Temptation
- Prayer Works!
- Seeing God's Plan Through Answered Prayer
- Minute in the Word: 1 Peter 2.13-14
- Praying For Those We Dislike
- Our First Reaction
- A Vital Part of a Healthy Spiritual Life
- Our Primary Weapon
- The Enormous Power of Prayer
