Why do we pray? The first time we pray is usually based upon our need and our inability to fulfill that need. It is a cry for help not unlike an infant who can do nothing for themself and must have someone else tend to all their needs. However just like that infant that grows and matures, so to our prayer, or more correctly our life, should grow and mature as we continue to live connected to God our heavenly Father. I believe the most important purpose of prayer is not the fulfillment of our specific prayer needs, but transformation. The consistent, progressive development of the mind of Christ. 2Corinthian 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Prayer is our on-going communication with God who is our Father. For me the imagery of God as Father is full and rich as I was blessed with a wonderful dad who loved, taught, corrected, coached, and poured life into us all the while looking toward the day when I would be a man and father in my own right. While not everyone is fortunate enough to have an earthly father who modeled traits that forshadowed our heavenly Father, that does not limit God. The bible also says He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother and He is a wonderful counselor. The point is that God is able to meet us wherever we are and relate to us in a manner that begins the transformation process inside us. That process begins as we begin that conversation with Him called prayer.
Before going further I want to point out that I am not making light of the many other purposes of prayer such as intercession for the needs of others, prayer for guidance, prayers of praise and adoration, etc. In fact I believe that all of these carry within them the ability to transform us and others. There was a time when I was engaged in a focused period of prayer with 2 – 3 others for an hour early every morning. One day after leaving the Prayer Tower and going to work I was flushed with the joy that comes from spending quality time with the Father and other believers. A little later that morning one of the admin assistants, Chris, asked me if I knew a young man who had worked at the mill. It turns out the young man, Tim, had felt called to missions and was in Singapore with his new wife and they had just found out he had lukemia with no money and few good options. I immediately said I didn’t know Tim, but I knew Tim’s Father and that we should go to Him and ask for Him to heal Tim. We prayed right there and I was totally confident that God heard. A few weeks later Chris stopped me and told me Tim had gotten to the Philipines and they were planning a procedure which among other things meant he would never be able to have children. Well we prayed again including asking that the Lord would not make Tim unable to father children. God answered those prayers over time. Tim was healed, he was not sterile, he is a father now, and he continues to minister. I never met Tim personally and I know my prayer was joined with many others in interceding for this young man and his wife. However I know this on-going prayer with the Father helped build faith for me, for Chris, and for Tim and his family.
I have heard people say that God answers prayer with a “Yes”, a “No”, or “Wait”. I know for a while I suscribed to this simplified explanation and on a rudimentary level that can be applied. However this simplification of prayer tends to reinforce a picture of God as Santa Claus… “Yes, here is your present”, “No, this is not your present”, or “Wait it’s not your turn for a present”. In our early days of walking with Him God may seem more like Santa – a distant, benevolent giver of gifts, but in reality He is so much more. And He wants us to become so much more than consumers of gifts. His goal is that we become obediant loving children who are being changed into the likeness of His Son, Jesus.
While yes, no, and wait may apply it is always accompanied with a conversation – if we are still and take time to listen. I’ve just had a major decision come up. I have been praying for guidance and asking a few close friends to join with me in seeking God’s will. Well the answer came, but it was wrapped in a conversation with the One who loves me more than I can even imagine. While I am happy to have a clear answer, my joy is even greater that I am a child of God Who is intimately involved in my life. And even better He is continuously working in my life to transform me. I know I am still far from where God is taking me. Those who know me well can still see plenty of work for God to do, but He is making progress. And so it is with all of us. God wants to work in us, He wants to converse with us. He wants to love us in tangible ways that we can see, feel, and hear.
I encourage you to take time to just tell God what’s on your heart today. He already knows but He likes to hear it from you. As you pour this out read His word and listen for His voice. He will speak life into you. He will transform your places of pain into places of victory because He loves you!
Be blessed and be a blessing.
