It is difficult to define Prayer directly, but some powerful things can be said about Prayer… what it is, and what it is not.  Here are a few of those thoughts, and five images of how we might approach Prayer in our own lives.

• Prayer is not “putting coins into a vending machine.”  It is not an “If-Then” proposition, nor is the outcome of our prayers determined by “how many we get to pray for us.”  Our prayers to God are not built on the Law of God, but rather we are moved to pray in response to his Grace.
• Prayer is meant to increase our needs, rather than a means to fulfill our needs.  Prayer invites us to increase our need to forgive, love and show mercy to others.  It also increases our need for forgiveness as we become aware of our own shortcomings and brokenness (sometimes called “sin”).
• Prayer should be the steering wheel of our life, more than the spare tire.  Is prayer something we turn to, hold on to, and that which steers our life each day?  Or is prayer simply a spare tire that we grab in case of emergencies?
• You cannot take your needs to God (in the right state of mind, and with the right heart) – until you realize that God always knows all your needs before you ask them.  This is what grants us freedom in prayer.
• Prayer expands God’s presence.  (Abraham said this.)  If you want to know God’s presence in your life, more often – then pray!
• Our own personal, self-centered interests usually dam up the response that God desires to give us.  If we could “get out of the way” more often – our prayers would be stronger, and we would hear God’s voice in response with greater clarity.
• If we try to figure out God’s will before we pray, our prayers are simply a “listening to our own voices.”

When we pray, we should pray like…

• A ten-year old who wants a puppy… “Can I have a puppy?  Why can’t I have a puppy?  Why don’t you like puppies?  Mom said I could have a puppy.  So can I have a puppy?”
• A teenager who wants permission to go out and meet a friend.
• A two-year old who wants his mother’s attention… “Mom.  Mom.  Mom.  Mom.  Mommy.  Mom.”

Prayer is how we speak to God.  But perhaps more importantly, it is how God speaks to us.  Some in scripture believe that God only speaks in a “still, small voice,” a whisper… so to hear him, a person needs to quiet himself, shut out all the competing noise and voices… and listen for that quiet voice of God.

This, in a word, is prayer.

Posted by Pastor Rick Stieve on July 28th, 2010