Our Highest Honor
How has prayer evolved in your life? Has it changed from when you were a child to now? What are your thoughts about prayer?
For me, as a little girl, I often wrote notes to God that I sometimes folded into paper airplanes and threw outside into the wind. I would quickly turned around and run, not looking back, as I imagined Him grabbing it up in secret to read what was on my heart. I couldn’t bear to turn around and risk seeing it spiral and nose dive into the ground as most paper airplanes do.
There were other times I pleaded with Mary to get a message to God on my behalf, because growing up Catholic, I just figured that was the proper thing to do.
When my family began going to a Non-Denominational church during my teen years, prayer started to take on a whole new meaning and purpose in my life. After asking Jesus to be my personal Lord and Savior, I was told that my prayers could be brought straight to the throne of God. I began to learn that the bible was more than a stoic book of historical thee’s and thou’s echoing religion from the past, but that it is the timeless Word of God that brings us closer to the heart of the Father. I really started to grasp that not only were my prayers reaching the ears of God, but that He really did want to hear from me as prayer was a vital necessity for my relationship with Him. I no longer felt that I was in a pen-pal relationship with someone who never opened my letters and who never responded. I could talk directly to the God of all creation. And…(wait for it)…He too would respond to me!
One time, I decided that I would write a letter to one of my favorite actors, Robert Downey Jr. in hopes of getting an autograph. I am a huge Marvel (MCU) fan and obviously team Iron Man, if anyone is wondering. I also love many of his other films. So, I researched online for an address and I found a few that might be it. I also found some protocols that needed to be followed in order to appease a celebrity and increase my chances at getting a response. A written letter was recommended. Something personal but not creepy of course. If you wanted an autographed photo you had to include your own photograph of them to be signed. You also had to include a self addressed envelope with the correct postage. If you did not follow protocol you probably wouldn’t get a response. I sent out 3 letters, because I didn’t know which of the 3 addresses that turned up were correct. After about 3 1/2 months, I got a response! I remember standing at the mail box with butterflies in my stomach and trembling hands as I opened the large yellow envelope that I had addressed to myself as per the protocols. RDJ signed my photo “Best Wishes, Robert Downey Jr.”!!! I squealed like a teen fangirl at a boyband concert and ran inside to show my husband who honestly just rolled his eyes because I was obviously acting like a teen fangirl at a boyband concert. Haha! I remember feeling really puffed up over this. Wow, a celebrity actually took the time to open my letter and respond?! <insert dreamy eyed teen fangirl gaze> Snap, I wonder who got those other two letters by the way?
So, back to God. I mean, RDJ is no one compared to the God of the Universe (no offense Robert). It amazes me completely that my prayers, out of 7.59 billion people on this blue planet, are being heard by God Himself! I think about the scene in the movie, Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey, where he has been given a taste of what it’s like to be God and in the beginning he is constantly hearing a chatter of prayers and it drives him nuts so he decided to answer them all with a resounding yes. I’m sure it would be overwhelming to us human beings to have that ability of hearing everyones prayers, but to God, I am sure it is not. The bible reveals that God knows everything and He is everywhere. Isaiah 40:28 in the ESV says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.” That is great news! We cannot overwhelm God with our prayers and He is somehow unfathomably and intimately acquainted with all of His children. The bible also says, “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:7 NLT). In another verse it says that, “…not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” (Matt. 10:29). So, put it together. If not even a tiny sparrow goes unnoticed by God and the bible says we are more valuable than a sparrow and He knows how many hairs we have on our head at any given time, then we are noticed, we are important, and nothing we think, say, or do goes undetected by God. I don’t know about you, but as a woman with long hair, I am constantly finding them all over the place. I don’t know how I have hair attached and touching my arms and it doesn’t bother me, but when one is loose and on my arm I can tell the difference and it’s so annoying to me! One time my kids had head lice and I had to stand there in the bathroom with this tiny comb picking through their heads like a monkey picks through another monkeys fur for hours and it was an overwhelming task to say the least. I was checking every strand for tiny little nits (eggs) and it was a tedious job. I don’t think that is what God is doing every moment with everyones head of hair. I don’t think God is rejoicing up there when men start to go bald, thinking to himself, ‘whew, that’s less that I will have to count each day!’ No, I think God is just keenly aware of it, and it’s even more amazing that our hair is always in a state of flux. He just knows, and it matters to him to know, that’s the important takeaway. God hears each and every one of our prayers. When we pray in the name of His son Jesus, there is power in our prayers through the Holy Spirit. Prayer changes things.
God wants us to pray, He hears our prayers and they are important to Him. But, why does He want us to pray? Here are some verses that I think clearly answer that question and show the importance of it.
Pray for your enemies- “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44. Also see Luke 6:28 and Romans 12:14. Praying for your enemies also changes your heart!
Build your Faith- “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” Mark 11:24. Also see Matthew 21:22.
To combat Worry- “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6.
To receive Forgiveness- “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14.Healing- “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16.
Strength- “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.” Psalms 138:3.
Against Temptation- “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” Luke 22:40.
To further God’s Kingdom and Will- Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon…” Luke 11:2. (This should be good enough reason alone. Jesus said to do it, so we should.) And also Matthew 9:38.
Prayers of Thankfulness- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
“NEVER stop praying.” Thessalonians 5:17.
Salvation and the salvation of others- Psalms 32:6.
For Love to grow- Philippians 1:9.
Wisdom- “If you need wisdom, ask (pray to) our generous God, and He will give it to you.” James 1:5. Also see Colossians 1:9.
There are 367 verses in the NIV translation of the bible that talk about prayer! That’s about 1 for every day of the year. I don’t think that is any coincidence. We are supposed to pray about anything and everything.
You may be thinking, ‘well, what good does it do though?’ Again, the bible says, “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16 NLT). A righteous person is none other than a person in “right-standing” with God. It’s not a perfect person who gets it all right. If you are “In Christ,” you are a righteous person. So, have faith and believe that 1. Your God hears your prayers and 2. That in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit your prayers are NOT in vain.
Now, God hears them and He answers them, but it’s important to mention that He will answer them in His way and in His timing. That is a biggie. Some people think that Mark 11:24 means they can ask for literally anything and God is obligated to give it to them. That is not so. If you are asking God for a million bucks but in your heart it’s just a selfish desire so that you can get a boat and a bigger house, then God’s probably not going to honor that one. He’s more interested in turning you into a giver than a getter. He’s not against blessings, but if it has the potential to corrupt your desires than we have to trust that God knows best. We can however rest assured that if anything we pray for is according to His will, then it will be done. Again, on His timing and in His way though.
We should never limit our prayers because we assume we know what God will or will not answer. The bible tells us to pray about anything and everything. I think that’s because basically God desires that we be in constant fellowship with Him. Prayer is really supposed to be as natural as talking to your friend in the car while your driving, or your spouse while out to dinner. And just like how your friend or your husband might pick up their cell phone and ignore you when you’d rather they be talking to you when your together, that’s a little like how God is. He doesn’t want us to just come to Him when we have big problems. He wants us to be always talking with him. Sometimes it’s just an internal dialogue that you may have while you are washing dishes or out shopping in the store. You can be praying that God give you wisdom for your purchases or a prayer of thankfulness that you have easy access to water for washing those dishes. Anything and everything. Just make it a practice to be talking to God on a regular basis. This will help you be more aware of His presence and open your spiritual ears to discern what He is saying back to you. Yes, that’s right! God speaks to us. Not in some weird creepy, I hear voices kind of way, but He is the still small voice, the bible says. He is speaking to your spirit and you can learn to hear from Him. As a result, you will feel more beloved, more confident in who you are as a child of God, and be readily available to be used by Him for His purposes in the earth.
Prayer doesn’t have to be done on your knees, it doesn’t have to be filled with intense overly spiritualized language. It can be simple and sweet; just you and God having a private conversation between friends. God is your friend. Yes, He is your God deserving of all reverence and honor, but sometimes we make it such a big deal that we end up keeping Him in the Sunday morning box and we are disconnected the other 6 days of the week. Endeavor to make prayer a priority. The bible says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:16.
Now more than ever prayer is so important. I have taught my kiddos to look at one hand and each finger represents one area to remember to pray for/about on a constant basis. 1. Praise (praise God for who He is) 2. Thanksgiving (For what He is doing) 3. Intercession (for the church, for family/friends, for the poor and weak) 4. Confession (asking for forgiveness of sins/confessing your weaknesses) 5. Petition (Asking God for peace and your own personal needs). I thought I would share that with you as well. It’s a starting place for conversations with God.
Prayer is our highest honor as Christians and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Learn all you can about the importance of prayer and God’s desire to be in relationship with you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you,
Amy
