Prayer and meditation is a valuable tool used to communicate with God, but to be blunt and honest, lately I haven’t felt like prayer. Rebellious, huh? With full knowledge of divine destiny over my life, I selfishly tend to spend quality time with things, people, and task that can’t compare in value. As a result, my days have been a blur; an uncontrollable routine of selfish desires. It took a friend to ask “How’s your prayer life” for me to identify my lack. I wasn’t praying as much anymore. Even the few times I did, there was minimum authenticity.
My stability is prioritized by the spirit, mind, and body (in that order), so when the spirit is unbalanced, the mind and body will follow. Anxiety can be a result of this unstable practice, so to the best of my ability, I strive for a successfully balanced lifestyle. Prayer repairs spiritual mis-guidance and feeds peace to the heart, but just like a physical appetite, your spiritual stomach needs to be fed just as much.
What is Prayer?
No matter where you hold your faith, one word is always applicable…prayer. Even those who weren’t raised in spiritual or religious households still know the word quite well. The media uses the action as a “wishful” thought only in needed dyer situations. They paint the picture that the ideal prayer involves tightly closed eyes, locked hands, knees directly below the edge of a bed, while a character pours out emotions and situations to “the man upstairs.” But is this the true stance of a praying heart? And who said that God only hear us if we’re in correct formation?
I don’t remember verse by verse all the lessons Jesus taught, but one that stands out to me the most is “The Lord’s Prayer” (or whichever title you give Matthew 6:9-13.) Why it is one of the most quoted bible verses is very clear; he teaches us how to communicate with God and the topics to focus on while we are offering that devoted time.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the Kingdom,
The power, and the glory, forever.
Amen”
Prayer Is Community
Throughout the prayer, Jesus never says “I” or “me.” His words are given as if we are to pray for each other and not ourselves, only identifying ourselves as a community. This practice of love and sacrifice is popular throughout the teaching of the Bible, although the reality is that we mostly pray for ourselves and the few people we like most. We pray for our careers, our relationships, our health, and situation that benefit our own lives, but this prayer teaches us that we are to meditate on identifying ourselves as one unit.
Prayer is Surrendering to God’s Will
I used to think that God’s Will would certainly happen whether we prayed specifically for it or not, but I’ve been shown that God’s Will is a choice, and by surrendering your free will, you are granting Him ultimate authority over your life.
Take Adam and Eve for example. God’s Will for them was to succeed the garden, while obeying the one commandment of not eating from a tree. Because they were given that commandment, God was also permitting them the power to choose His will or create one of their own. Unfortunately, It only took a moment for Adam and Eve to step out of the will of God, resulting in the birth of sin.
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God’s will is to prosper us, and succeeded by doing what the Lord requires of us. Which is to act justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). So in our prayers, we should ask for forgiveness for following our selfish desires, and commit our hearts to surrender to the assurance God’s will.
Prayer is Honor
Lastly, prayer is identifying God as…well, God. There are idols and man-made gods that people unconsciously worship, but the christian faith identifies God as the ultimate (and solo) creator. Professing “For yours is the Kingdom, The power, and the glory, forever,” you are announcing His dominion.
The takeaway is this, pray often. This entry can not contain the value of prayer in your life. Apply prayer, and watch your perspective on life mature before your eyes.
