Cupcake says:
"Prayer makes me...restful. Snuzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."
Prayer is one of the most important things a Christian can do,
and the most powerful. However, there are effective prayers and
ineffective ones. Now, I'm not saying that I'm good at praying or
anything, but I do know several things about the nature of prayer, and
how to pray successfully.
First of all, acquiant yourself with Matthew 6:5-15. You can
never go wrong with the Lord's prayer, and the advice about methods of
prayer is very useful.
I. God is not a genie. I have seen movies, cartoons and television
programs where children pray to Santa Claus to get what they want.
Some Christians pray this way to God. This is not in itself bad, but
it is not very effective. God's will is more important than your will,
and more important than what you want or what you desire for your
close personal friends, depending on what it is that you ask. If you
ask for a flashy sports car, you probably won't get it, nor will you
get what you want if you ask the Lord to make you walk on water.
Romans 12:2 says that we should not conform to this world, and this
includes their endless pursuit of prosperity, fame or power.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, we see that Paul had a demon, a
messenger of Satan, a thorn in his flesh. He didn't want it, but it
was God's will for him to have it. 2 Corinthians 9 and 10 are
especially important to notice. We are strong in our weaknesses.
God will provide for us with enough to live by. We see this in
Matt 6:30-34. It is like a Rolling Stones song: "You can't always get
what you want, but you get what you need."
II. God answers all his prayers in his own time. There is an old joke
that goes like this, "A man said to God, "Lord, how much is a million
dollars to you?" The Lord said, "A penny." So the man said to God,
"Lord, how much is a million years to you?" The Lord said, "A second."
So then the man says, "Lord, will you give me a penny?" and God, of
course, says, "Sure. In a second." This relates to Psalm 27:14. Wait
upon the Lord. Sure, you will get that flashy sports car someday, but
don't expect it anytime soon. You might have gray hair by the time you
do get it.
III. Worldly success is not important to God. In the parable of the
vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-16), that the last will be first and
the first last. So think about it this way: do you want to be first in
God's kingdom and last in the material world (unsuccessful in worldly
terms) or last in God's kingdom and first in the material world? Matt
6:19-21 also says that we should not be storing riches here on earth,
but in heaven, and that your heart will be with your treasure. So, do
you want a fat bank account here on earth, or in heaven? 1 Timothy
6:10 says that the love of money is the root of all evil, so we should
not put God's will aside for the purpose of gaining wealth. The same
message is in Matthew 6:24.
John the Baptist was not yet in the king's house when he was
baptizing at the Jordan river. Matthew 11:8 says this. Jesus is not
the present ruler of this world, but he rules heaven.
IV. Our sufferings are for God's glory, including poverty and loss.
Our failures can be a new opportunity to witness. If your car breaks
down on the highway, you may meet an unbeliever and share with him or
her the message of Christ. If you fall out of a tree and break your
arm, you may share the gospel with a doctor in the hospital. If you,
perish the thought, die somehow, perhaps the word will be shared at
your funeral to an unbelieving friend. All of these are unpleasant,
but they do things for the glory of God. Good examples about this
subject are in Romans 12:12 and the example of the apostles in Acts
5:17-21.
V. Finally, the most important is persistence. If you truly want
something from God, you pray for it endlessly. It says so in the
parable of the Judge and the widow in Luke 18:1-8.
I'm going to ramble this week until I figure out how to make good
fuzzy bread. If you want to give me some helpful advice, feel free to
do so. A discussion on this subject would help us better serve the
furry community.
I'll try to do better next week.