Prayer…it’s a pretty important topic in our faith as followers of Jesus. Prayer is one of those things that Jesus modeled for us. He set aside time throughout his time here on earth to be alone and to be present with God and to talk and listen to God. Jesus even gave us a pattern for prayer. It’s what we know today as the Lord’s Prayer, something that we share in together once a week during worship.
There are many Jesus followers who claim Philippians 4:6-7 as one of their favorite passages from the Bible. I would be one of those people. This passage from Philippians speaks of prayer; “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is a beautiful passage that reminds us to continually do as Jesus did and find time in our days to simply be with God to talk, listen, and be present. In and through these moments, we can find peace.
Some of you may remember me talking about how our focus or a “win” for our congregation is through “Building connections with God, others, and ourselves.” Our emphasis this year is building our connection with God through prayer. This is part of the reason why just recently we did a survey on a Sunday morning about people’s feelings and thoughts about prayer. I was pleased to see that the majority of the responders prayed multiple times a day, they felt they knew how to pray, and they believed that prayer makes a difference. I felt this was all good news as people were utilizing prayer as a part of their faith experience.
But the struggle with prayer, at least that I have in my prayer life and I’ve heard others wrestle with it too, is that sometimes I wonder why my prayers aren’t answered as I had hoped. It’s then that I’m reminded once again, that prayer isn’t transactional…prayer is really transformational. Let me explain.
Sometimes we, or I should say I, get into the thought pattern that since I prayed for something, God will answer my prayer in the way I want, right??!! That is a transactional attitude about prayer. It’s like putting coins in the vending machine, pushing the button, and you get what you want out. I pray the prayer and God has to respond the way I want. But that isn’t the way God works.
As I continue to grow in my faith and walk more closely to Jesus, I find that prayer is really a conversation. And truthfully, prayer is more transformational – me being transformed into the likeness of Jesus by listening, thinking, and acting more in line with who Jesus is. Prayer is even more about living out or reflecting God’s Kingdom in this moment and situation.
There’s a friend I have who shared that a while back he was dealing with some difficult things in life. His prayer had become, “God, help me through this!” It wasn’t until several months later that he realized that that prayer had been answered. Things had been dealt with and resolved. There was more of a peaceful presence in his life and work, and he realized that God had helped him through…quietly…and really out of sight. But indeed, as my friend put it, God was there – God helped me through!”
As we all continue to live in and with the practice of prayer, may we know that God is always with us and often God is calling us aside for some moments of connection and transformation through prayer. May we remember that God does answer prayer. Sometimes the answer is “Yes.” Sometimes the answer is “No.” and sometimes the answer is “Not yet.” But one answer to prayer is that God is always with us! God is always present in and through the storms and struggles of life and not just the good or easy times.
A note that hangs in my office reminds me daily that I am responsible for faithfulness…and God is responsible for outcomes. Most often my faithfulness needs to begin with prayer. May God’s transforming presence continue to work in our lives and touch and guide us in this journey of life and faith. And yes, this transformation often begins with prayer!
Pastor Keith