Recently, I've started wondering why we as Christians pray. I mean,
The Bible says over and over that God knows our heart. As the famous
Evangelical preacher, Billie Graham says, God knows all the stuff going
on in the world, yet takes the time to count every hair on my head. He
knows our needs, our wants, our sins, everything. Why do we need to pray
about it?
When I was in high school, a great pastor named Andy spoke on the father figure we have in God. God the Father. In that time of teen angst in which I disagreed with just about everything either of my parents (specifically my mother, if I'm honest) said, those sermons always stuck out to me. Treating God as He was my father and my parents as if they were special gifts from God to me. Because they are. And re-watching the series Parenthood (from NBC. If you don't know it, watch it! It is so good!), I'm reminded of how much distance is between a teenager and the parents. All the parents are trying to do is continue having the good relationships with their children, while the teenagers can't seem to see why their parents insist on ruining their very adult, I-can-take-care-of-myself lives. However, no matter how much the teenagers don't want to spend time with their parents, we find bits of time when they pour their hearts out, and we see just why the parents continue to try to build this bond. Then, we eventually see the adult kids having strong bonds with their parents, who are now grandparents of their kids' kids.
This situation is not unlike our relationship with God. Some in that teenager phase in which they can handle their situations fine. Some are in that further developed relationships in which they go to God constantly, if only to speak with Him. Age, in this case, tends to not really matter as much.
No matter where you may fall on the spectrum, God always wants a deeper relationship. He wants to hear our joys, concerns, etc.
In school, especially this college setting, there is a lot of discussion once a new subject is introduced. Do we get it? Can someone elaborate? Does someone want to riff off of that? All sorts of stuff. The professors tend to love when that happens. They get to see if what their teaching is landing. And if it's not, they can try to explain it another way. Which is another way I've started looking at prayer.
Prayer is not only a great conversation, a very intimate conversation with God. One that might build the relationship even deeper and fuller. But prayer, to me, is also this way of trying to understand what God is throwing at you. Or maybe what human error, or free will, or the world (however it might have happened and however you see it) might have thrown at you. Prayer can also be this great time of rejoice when, even on your worst days, you can celebrate all the (even) tiny goods happening in your life.
Sometimes, though, one just cannot put into words everything that is one one's heart. In which case, I tend to trust that God knows. Asking for his guidance to put those things on my heart into words that I might explain, or put it another way so that I might explain. Or simply to "take all of the things that are on my heart and lift them up to you, Father."
Overall, though I pray at the weirdest times, I've come to understand what prayer is to me at this point in my life. The meaning and depth behind my prayers always shift. My praying has certainly shifted and grown since I first started trying it out. Sometimes, I have those rebellious times in which I think "psh, I got this," forgetting, however, just who my #1 advocate is and how, in many ways, I need and crave his guidance.
Prayer means so much to so many people. Prayer looks so different from person to person. However it's done, though, prayer can impact the world. For God knows our hearts. He knows every tree in every forest and still has time to count every strand of hair on my head. He moves mountains and creates rivers. Constantly, I feel Him moving mountains in my life. And that little convo time is the best I have to offer. But I think that's His want.
When I was in high school, a great pastor named Andy spoke on the father figure we have in God. God the Father. In that time of teen angst in which I disagreed with just about everything either of my parents (specifically my mother, if I'm honest) said, those sermons always stuck out to me. Treating God as He was my father and my parents as if they were special gifts from God to me. Because they are. And re-watching the series Parenthood (from NBC. If you don't know it, watch it! It is so good!), I'm reminded of how much distance is between a teenager and the parents. All the parents are trying to do is continue having the good relationships with their children, while the teenagers can't seem to see why their parents insist on ruining their very adult, I-can-take-care-of-myself lives. However, no matter how much the teenagers don't want to spend time with their parents, we find bits of time when they pour their hearts out, and we see just why the parents continue to try to build this bond. Then, we eventually see the adult kids having strong bonds with their parents, who are now grandparents of their kids' kids.
This situation is not unlike our relationship with God. Some in that teenager phase in which they can handle their situations fine. Some are in that further developed relationships in which they go to God constantly, if only to speak with Him. Age, in this case, tends to not really matter as much.
No matter where you may fall on the spectrum, God always wants a deeper relationship. He wants to hear our joys, concerns, etc.
In school, especially this college setting, there is a lot of discussion once a new subject is introduced. Do we get it? Can someone elaborate? Does someone want to riff off of that? All sorts of stuff. The professors tend to love when that happens. They get to see if what their teaching is landing. And if it's not, they can try to explain it another way. Which is another way I've started looking at prayer.
Prayer is not only a great conversation, a very intimate conversation with God. One that might build the relationship even deeper and fuller. But prayer, to me, is also this way of trying to understand what God is throwing at you. Or maybe what human error, or free will, or the world (however it might have happened and however you see it) might have thrown at you. Prayer can also be this great time of rejoice when, even on your worst days, you can celebrate all the (even) tiny goods happening in your life.
Sometimes, though, one just cannot put into words everything that is one one's heart. In which case, I tend to trust that God knows. Asking for his guidance to put those things on my heart into words that I might explain, or put it another way so that I might explain. Or simply to "take all of the things that are on my heart and lift them up to you, Father."
Overall, though I pray at the weirdest times, I've come to understand what prayer is to me at this point in my life. The meaning and depth behind my prayers always shift. My praying has certainly shifted and grown since I first started trying it out. Sometimes, I have those rebellious times in which I think "psh, I got this," forgetting, however, just who my #1 advocate is and how, in many ways, I need and crave his guidance.
Prayer means so much to so many people. Prayer looks so different from person to person. However it's done, though, prayer can impact the world. For God knows our hearts. He knows every tree in every forest and still has time to count every strand of hair on my head. He moves mountains and creates rivers. Constantly, I feel Him moving mountains in my life. And that little convo time is the best I have to offer. But I think that's His want.
"Pray without ceasing." -- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Woo!
Mary Taylor
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