In this New Year, I am setting my goal to pray more. Truth is, I pray a lot. But I want to present my prayers, and not “worry” them. I don’t want to come to God full of fear and doubt wringing my hands and fixating on my concerns. I want to come to Him in faith knowing that He’s got things handled and He’s got me handled too.
I believe that many of us have seen God answer prayer, haven’t we? God may have healed the precious lady at church that everyone is praying for. He may have provided finances for you or someone you loved right in the nick of time. Has He ever empowered you to get through circumstances that you thought would end you? You got through the situation, and you feel stronger for it.
And still, there are times when we cry out to God on behalf of ourselves or those we love and we don’t understand what He is doing —or, often, not doing — in the situation.
That is when these words from Philip Yancey speak to my heart. They reflect what I have felt so many times.
Yancey asks, “Why pray? I have asked myself this question almost every day of my Christian life, especially when God’s presence seems far away and I wonder if prayer is a pious form of talking to myself. I have asked it when I read theology, wondering what use there may be in repeating what God must already surely know. Prayer has become much more for me than a shopping list of requests to present to God. It has become a realignment of everything. I pray to restore the truth of the universe, to gain a glimpse of the world, and of me, through the eyes of God.” Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? “
Does this resonate with your soul? It does mine. When I spend time quieting my heart in the Lord’s presence, my list of requests melts into a time of quiet praise as His peace settles over my rush-crazed soul. In that praise, I thank Him in advance for working out all the issue and helping all the people on my prayer list. I walk away better having been with the author of it all gaining reassurance He is still working things out because He loves me. He loves you too. Aren’t we glad?