Two types of prayer – We need both!

The other morning, I was working on my lesson for this week’s Bible study and realized that I didn’t feel well.  My stomach hurt, my breath was shallow and my heart was beating harder than usual.  A few thoughts popped into my head simultaneously and this post was instantly born.  Some of the thoughts had to do with why I could be feeling the way I was.  One thought in particular was this: There are two types of prayer in my life and I need both.

Constant Prayer:  This is that running dialogue I have with God throughout the day.  I think this is what Paul was talking about when he told the people in Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).  It’s the prayer of thanksgiving when something makes me smile.  It’s the prayer for strength and ability when I have to perform some task on my own because there’s no one around to help me (yes, I ask God to help me get jars open…).  It’s the prayer asking for clarity of thought as I plan out my errands for the day so that I don’t forget anything and I don’t waste time (and gas).  It’s the prayer for a friend in response to a Facebook update about how her day is going.  It’s the prayer of forgiveness for a “little” sin that I’ve caught myself committing.  You get the idea…

Dedicated Prayer:  This is the time I take to stop everything I’m doing and spend time at my Father’s feet.  This is the type of prayer Jesus demonstrated whenever He went off by Himself to talk to His Father.  Sometimes I close my eyes.  Sometimes I kneel.  Sometimes I’m flat on my face on the floor.  This type of prayer takes time.  This type of prayer requires me to be still and to listen.  This type of prayer involves self-examination, repentance, purposeful worship, serious petition for myself and for others.  This is my “hard-core” prayer.

As I sat contemplating my aching stomach and racing heart, I realized that I’ve been doing a lot of the first type of prayer, but not a lot of the second.  Yes, I’d been praying everyday and enjoying God’s company, but I hadn’t spent serious, dedicated time really talking with Him.  I had been texting God, but hadn’t had coffee with Him in a while.

I’m not saying one kind of prayer is better than the other.  I believe we need both.  And I believe God wants both.  He wants us to be in constant contact with Him.  And He wants us to take the time to sit still in His presence.  When we do one or the other, we are unbalanced.  When we do both, we have a fuller relationship with the God who loves nothing more than to spend time with His kids.

Do you tend toward constant prayer or dedicated prayer?  Is there another type that you’ve recognized in your life?

 

What else is there?

A friend of mine posted this quote from S.D. Gordon on Facebook earlier this week and I thought it was a great way to end a week of talking about prayer:  ”You can do more than pray, after you have prayed. But you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” (Quiet Talks on Prayer)

Technically speaking, I can do lots of things before I pray.  I can try to fix things on my own.  I can offer help to someone in need.  I can make plans and lists.  But while I can do all of those things, I’ve come to understand that their effectiveness is lessened if I do them without prayer.  Sure, my helping hand may ease someone else’s burden, but what am I not doing for them because I haven’t asked God what He would like me to do?  Yes, I can try to fix my situation and I can plan for my now uncertain future, but if I have not brought it to God first, how do I know my plans are His plans? 

More than all of that though, I have found that prayer does one thing for me every single time I stop and do it first: When I bring my requests and worries and fears to God, He gives my heart (and my mind) a peace that I can not find anywhere else.  And now that I know that, I have to ask myself, why would I not pray?

What is the greatest thing you’ve ever learned about prayer?  How has it changed the way you pray?

 

Prayer changes…me

I want to be completely open and honest with you about something.  This is hard for me to admit, but I have a problem and it’s time I come clean.  Ok, here it goes… *takes a deep breath*… I change my mind.  A lot.  Please, do not make me make a decision!  I can’t handle it.  I get all nervous and my palms start sweating.  Where should we go for dinner?  I don’t know!  Please, ask someone else!  What should I wear to Becky’s graduation party?  Ahhh!  So many options!  Can’t…choose…  (The preceding has been an overly dramatic depiction of Amy’s thought processes when she is faced with a decision.  The names have not been changed to protect anyone.)

Why do I have such a hard time making a decision?  Actually, the answer is quite simple: I don’t want to be wrong.  If I choose where we’re going for dinner, I might choose something you don’t like.  If I wear a skirt to the party, what if everyone else is wearing jeans?  I hear those of you who are saying that my reasoning is shallow and I should just get over it.  But I know I’m not alone in this.  I know I am not the only one who changes her mind (and her outfit) at least 3 times every Sunday morning.  I’m just the only one admitting it right now.  Ah, to be God and never have to change my mind about anything…what bliss that would be!

“But wait!” you say, “if God never changes His mind about anything, why do we bother praying for Him to [fill in the blank]?”  Yes, that is the dilemma of prayer, isn’t it?  If God already knows what He’s going to do, why should we bother praying about anything?  There are a number of different answers to that age-old question, but today, I want to look at just one of them (mostly because I just don’t want to be typing for the rest of the night).

The other day, I asked if you had a favorite book on prayer.  Well, I have two of them.  The reason they are my favorites is because they are the two that have had the biggest impact on the way I pray.  The first is John Eldredge’s Walking with God.  My dad gave me this book a couple of years ago and it opened up a whole new world of prayer for me.  Now, instead of just telling God what I want, or even praying “Your will be done”, I often ask Him specifically what I should do or even how I should pray – and then I take the time to listen for His answer.  It’s that last part that has been the biggest change in my prayers. 

The second book I’ve read multiple times is Philip Yancey’s Prayer.  I’m not going to go too far in depth, but this was the book I read when I was getting pretty close to the end of the proverbial rope this past year.  I’d been begging and pleading with God to do something for me.  In fact, I’d been praying about it for so long that I became obsessed with it – I could pray about nothing else.  It was this quote, though not directly related to my prayer problem, that got my attention and refocused me:  “The very process of “wasting time” with God changes me on the inside.  A child does not decide, “I think I will imitate Dad”, and then go about practicing posture, mannerisms and voice inflections that bear an uncanny resemblance to his dad.  He absorbs family traits unconsciously, by sustained contact.”

That hit me pretty hard.  I realized I had limited prayer to its lowest common denominator – asking God for something.  I stopped seeing it as time spent with my Father.  I stopped seeing it as an opportunity to get to know Him better and to learn to be like Him.  I stopped seeing it as a way to be in relationship with Him – the very reason I was created.  There is evidence in the Bible that prayer can, in fact, change God’s mind (see 2 Kings 20:1-11 for perhaps the most famous example).  But more and more, I’m finding that instead of changing God, prayer changes me.  And that, I think, may be the point.

Has your prayer life ever been rocked by God?  What to you, is the most important aspect of prayer right now?

 

Prayer and gardening

In case you’ve missed something, we’re talking about prayer this week.  The following clip has ruined a certain prayer for me so I thought I’d share so it can ruin it for you too.  Enjoy!!

Tim Hawkins – Hedge of Protection

Is there a “prayer phrase” that makes you laugh?

 

Our Father…

Yesterday, we started talking about talking…to God.  Throughout the centuries, Christians have taken the time to write down their prayers and I’m so glad they did.  There are times when I want to say something to God, but don’t know how to put it into words.  I know the Bible tells us that when we don’t know what to say, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26), but sometimes, I really do want the words.  Recently, for example, I’ve been praying the words of Thomas Merton: “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You.” 

Of course, the written prayer is the one Jesus prayed when His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray.  It’s one I’ve prayed so often that I have on occasion found myself just rattling off the words without regard for their meaning, and you may have too.  I think when we just repeat the words, we detract from the prayer’s beauty, purpose and power and we do ourselves – and even God - a great disservice.  I came to this realization a while ago and one day, I sat down with the Lord’s Prayer to dissect it and mull it over.  I wanted to look at it with fresh eyes and gain a new understanding of the prayer I’ve heard for as long as I can remember:   

My Father – the very reason for my existence – You are in Heaven but at the same time, You are right here with me.  Your name is holy.  You are holy.  I can’t wait until Jesus returns and You establish Your Kingdom here on earth!  Until that happens though, I want to do what You want me to do the way Your will is done in Heaven – quickly, humbly, joyfully.  Please give me today what I need for today – nothing more and nothing less.  I’m trusting in your provision.  God, I’m going to fail because I’m human and imperfect.  When I do, point it out to me so that I can confess it and claim Your forgiveness.  When someone does something that hurts me, give me Your grace so that I can forgive them.  When I’m tempted today, remind me that I can say no and I can choose to do the right thing because You have given me the power to choose right over wrong.  You are the Almighty God.  Everything belongs to You: all power, all authority, all glory and honor, now and for all eternity!

Have you ever read a prayer that spoke your heart to God in a way your own words couldn’t?  What part of the Lord’s Prayer is most significant to you right now?

 

Let’s talk…to God

Since this Thursday is the National Day of Prayer, I thought we’d spend this week thinking and talking a little bit about talking to our great God.  For some people, prayer is something they live and breathe – they’ve been doing it for so long that it’s become second nature.  For others, just the thought of sitting and praying makes them break out in hives.  If I had to guess, I’d say you fall somewhere in the middle. 

I have no idea how many books have been written and sermons preached about prayer, but it’s pretty high on the list of topics in Christian literature.  And it should be.  It’s such a privilege to go to the God of the universe with our concerns, our fears, our thanks! No doubt though, there’s a whole lot of advice out there regarding prayer.  I love how Eugene Peterson phrased Matthew 6:5-8:  “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  Don’t fall for that nonsense.  This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need.  With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.”

Isn’t that the truth?  This is our Father we’re talking to.  Not our boss, or the President, or a judge – our Father.  Yes, when we pray we ought to have a sense of reverence for who He is, but He already knows our hearts so we don’t need to grovel or use lots of words.  We can just tell Him what’s on our minds and trust that, not only does He already know, He’s already got it worked out.  What a relief!

What’s the best advice you’ve been given about prayer?  Do you have a favorite book about prayer?