Prayer Is For Me

11/3/2020

What is Prayer? A solemn request for help or expression of thanks expressed to God or an object of worship. The words pray or prayer are mentioned around 500 times in the Bible. There are other words mentioned many more times than the word prayer, but prayer is an intimate word that is associated with our relationship with the Creator. When a relationship is considered important to us, we do what we can to spend time with that person and share our thoughts and feelings. We get feedback on ideas or questions we may have and enjoy making memories. We value certain relationships, and yet many times when it comes to our forever relationship with God, why do we not develop it as we do the others? Well, we might say, because He is God, and there would be certain aspects of an earthly relationship we would not focus on. True, I understand that, but what about the rest?

Why exactly do we pray? God tells us to pray, He wants us to pray, and we need to pray. Prayer is not for God, but prayer is for us. It is given to us by God as an avenue of communication to Him just as the Bible is given to us as His avenue of communication to us. God’s Word tell us in Psalm 50:15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Matthew 6:9-13 labeled as the “Lord’s Prayer” is given as an example of how to pray. Matthew 21:22 says, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Our prayers are our source of strength that allows us to believe there will be an answer because of who we are speaking to. Prayers are foremost for our salvation from sin and for our confession of sins once we are saved.

We could lay out many more verses of prayer, and I believe as Christians we know we should have an improved prayer life. We realize that we must pray, but do we realize how important it is for us? God does not need us to pray because He needs help, but it is the means God has for things to happen. It helps Christians show His love to others, and allows paths to be open up for God to work. It is always available, and nothing, except for unconfessed sin, can hinder our prayers to God. It humbles us, especially when we see answers to those prayers we so fervently lifted to Heaven receive an answer. Honestly, sometimes we are surprised when they are answered. I never get used to a prayer asked with full belief and answered amazingly. Lastly, we get to experience God through prayer, it brings us close to Him, and we see evil conquered.

Prayer is a cancer patient’s lifeline. How many needles have I received? Hundreds. How many side effects have I experienced? Not done counting. How many pains have I endured where I cried out to take them away? How many scans have I so anxiously lifted up to God sitting in the waiting room with kids of all ages doing the same or at least their parents? Each and every time a scan came back clear, the sigh of relief was heard around the world and the small tears welling up in my mom’s eyes were wiped away. Another hurdle jumped and cleared. But the next time will that hurdle stop us in our tracks or do we clear it by centimeters?

One of my closest friends recently got stopped by a cancer hurdle, stupid disease. She was diagnosed and is awaiting surgery, with complicated tests results mixed into the longest waiting period one has to endure. The biopsies, the test results, pre-op appointments, and the surgery scheduled dates are enough to put someone in a tailspin. What does one say to someone going through it? From experience, unless asked, stories are unnecessary. They need us to say we are praying and mean it, they need us to say we are there for them, and we can help them in any way. Just to hear someone cares and is praying takes the feeling of cancer aloneness away. It allows a cancer patient to feel like the weight of the disease on their shoulders is being held up by others like Moses was assisted at the battle against the Amalekites. It gives a feeling of power to conquer and strength to move forward. Knowing someone is thinking of us makes the results of biopsies and anxiety of surgery that much more bearable.

There is nothing better than prayer. It has changed the course of a sea’s direction, battles fought, walls standing, an infertile womb, lion’s mouths, a day’s time, a centurion’s heart, prison bars opened, and nations turned to God. All of these stories in God’s Word could be our stories, and they sound like our stories. For me, prayer changed death to life, hell bound to heaven bound, infertility to mothering, with thousands more answered prayers. We must not take prayer lightly, and we must pray today. WE can change everything.