By: Rex Stump
Wauseon, Ohio
How is your prayer life? I stepped into the restrooms at Walmart the other day, and a man in the back stall sounded like he was in pain, as I heard him say, “Help me Jesus.”
I decided that Jesus could help him…so I left. Seriously, besides asking God to bless the food, give you safe travels, or help you feel better, how is your prayer life? If you want to get serious about living the life as a follower of Jesus, let’s begin with prayer.
We should pray on all occasions, as Paul told us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We are told to be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12). And we are to “pray at all times and on every occasion, being persistent in your prayers” (Ephesians 6:18).
We can pray in any position and in any location. Just read through the Bible and see how people prayed: kneeling, sitting, lying down, falling prostrate, standing up, or walking. They prayed under the stars of the sky, in rooms, on rooftops, in caves, and in the belly of the whale.
But what I believe to be of most importance is to whom we pray. We pray to God! Not the saints, a priest, pastor, Mary, or other person. We pray to God. Holy, Almighty, All-Powerful, Loving, Just God. He is God, and we are not.
Do you ever feel that you aren’t worthy to ask someone of greater authority for a request? Or have we all grown into the entitlement attitude that we deserve all things and that those in higher authority should just hand it over?
We have forgotten that God demands our respect without even asking. He is not the man upstairs, the old man, or some other degrading description! He is God! He is the ultimate authority. The maker of all things. The God of this universe!
He is Holy. We are not. We don’t deserve to even approach Him; we have no right to ask anything of God. But we are reminded in Philippians 4:6 to approach God!
Paul says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
When we approach God, bring what worries you. When this was written, worry was used in connection with finances, hunger, or some other basic provision of life.
In Matthew 6:25, Jesus was speaking to worriers, urging these people to stop worrying. So when we pray it’s good that we begin by emptying our worries upon God. For when we do, He gives us His peace.
In that same verse, Paul then gives us another important step to take when giving our worries to the Lord. God expects you to thank Him for being good to you! “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done!”
Every day God provides. Are we thankful? We get upset when God doesn’t answer our prayer, but when He does (and He does daily), are we just as quick to praise God for His blessings?
Make it a goal to be just as passionate in your thanksgiving as you were when you made your request. Prayer is essential to our spiritual growth! God is not a mighty vending machine in the sky, waiting for us to deposit a little prayer in order to get what we want. What we need is a growing relationship with the Lord God our Savior! Prayer is an essential part of how we grow.
Make every effort to grow this week in your time of prayer with God! “When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.” — Corrie ten Boom
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Rex Stump is the Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as a Pastor at True North Church in Wauseon, Ohio.