When We Pray

My heart has been crying out to God the past few weeks, begging Him to help me seek Him more. Chase Him stronger. Trust Him completely. I want- no, CRAVE- a deeper relationship.

 

So this Sunday's sermon totally touched me. I know, I know, it's THURSDAY. But I have a hard time sitting down to write. Anyway, we had a pastor from Raliegh come as a guest-speaker and he really reminded me of our pastor back home, only making the service more special.
His sermon was about prayer, and the four things that happen when we pray. It was just too good not to share, espeically with the peace it gave my heart, so this post is a mix of his sermon and my thoughts.

Do a quick Google search of the "most popular Bible verses", and though changing, these are always among them.

Jeremiah 29:11. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

 

Philippians 4:6. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

 

Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

 

Proverbs 3:5. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."...
And Proverbs 3:6. ..."In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."

These verses are all about our uncertainty and fear. They show our need to trust in God (whether we acknowlege that or not).

If you read through Psalms, you see that David struggled too.
Psalms 28:1-2: "To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place."

David cried out to God. He felt alone and afraid and he begged God to show up (which He did).

 

A consistant prayer life (and just plain praying in general) has always been a struggle for me. As I get older, I am relieved to find that it seems to be a struggle for everyone else too. But I know that a good prayer life is incredibly important.
 

What happens when we pray?

1. Our trust in God increases.

The pastor was taking about how he struggles with what a good prayer life is even supposed to look like (Amen!). He asked a friend of his, who just so happened to write "the greatest book on prayer I've ever read" (sorry, I don't remember the name of the book!) and he was told, "just last night driving home I prayed, 'Please help me get everything I need to do done.'". Seriously? But when he got home his computer started quickly, he didn't fight with his wife, ect. and he got his tasks done.
When we trust God in the little things, and He comes through for us, we are able to trust Him in the bigger things. Praying for simple, daily things also gets us in the habit of taking EVERYTHING to God.

2. Our love for God increases.

As we talk to Him more and trust Him more, we love Him more. You wouldn't expect to grow closer and fall more in love with your spouse if you talked to them for a few minutes at dinner and as you drifted off to sleep. I don't know about you, but I text my husband throughout the day, and talk to him frequently when he gets home. We share funny stories and tell each other the infuriating things that happen. We ask each other's opinions and share our dreams and fears. We definitely get mad at each other, but even that deepens our bond. Most importantly, we talk about the the future together.
I can't imagine our marriage lasting these two and a half years if all he did was thank me for cooking dinner and then treated me like Santa, giving me his list of wants, as he fell asleep.
The more time and communication I spend with my husband, the more I fall in love with him. And the same goes with God.

3. Our relationship with God deepens.

I want that relationship with God that I described with my husband. I want to be in constant communication with Him. I want to thank Him for the things He does throughout my day, but I also want to come to Him with my concerns, hurts, and fears, regardless of how big or small. I want to tell Him my dreams and desires, even though He already knows. (He placed them there!). I want Him to be leading me, because I know that He already has a perfect plan for me.
Our relationship can't help but get deeper when we communicate with, trust and love God.

4. Our involvement in eternally significant activity increases.

The more time we spend with Christ, the more He molds us to be like Him. This effects our attitudes, desires, opinions, and the way we treat others. We think and act less like the world and more like Christ. By no means saying we become perfect or no longer sin, but we want to please our Heavenly Father.

If we don't pray, how are we supposed to know Him, not just know of him? If we don't pray, how are we supposed to love Him, truely, not as a fan but as a child? If we don't pray, how are we supposed to let Him guide our paths? If we don't pray, how are we supposed to become more like Him?

So prayer is important in our Christian walk. We all know that.
But so often I feel like David in Psalm 28:1, begging God but feeling like He doesn't hear me.

I pray for guidance for our future, but still feel confused and afraid of the next stage of our lives.
I pray for financial security, but we are still just scraping by, pay check to pay check.
I pray for a baby, but over 15 months have passed and we still haven't concieved.

I also pray for God's plan in my life. But when I don't get what I want (and quickly at that), I begin to question if God is even listening. I tend to forget that God is answering my prayers, but that answer isn't always "yes". Sometimes, it is "no". Harder still, sometimes the answer is "wait". My prayer has become "help me accept Your plan" along with, "have Your way in my life".

The guest pastor said something that I really loved. He said "troubling situations have a way of revealing your God." And that is so incredibly true. I have been asking myself lately if God is the top of my list. And honestly, I can't say that He always is. Lately I feel that material items, my husband, money, and wanting a baby have been working their way to the top. I find myself reading my Bible less, praying less, and conducting myself in a Christ-like manner less.
And I don't like it.

I am starting to turn to God with my problems instead of trying to control and solve them myself. And you know what? I'm starting to see those problems as the tools God is using to form me into the woman He has always meant for me to become. I have a peace about my problems, even though I don't see them as "solved". And I am so thankful that He is bringing me to my knees, because it is the perfect place to call out to Him.
"Cry out with all that you are in the midst of your despair." Not "shoot up a quick prayer and continue in your despair", not "surrender part of your situation in your despair", but "CRY OUT with ALL that you are in the midst of your despair."
He has a plan for my life. A plan to prosper and give me hope, and he is working everything in my life for the good of his plan. His plan isn't going to be my plan, it's going to be better. Sometimes I just need to be brought to my knees to remember that. And my knees are the perfect place to pray.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4