October 23

“God will use your prayer times to soften your heart and change your focus.  As you pray for others, the Holy Spirit will work in your heart so that you have the same compassion for them that God does.....You cannot be intimately exposed to God’s heart and remain complacent.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 10/6

Over the years I’ve read many books on prayer and have been exposed to all the different explanations.  I have been in prayer groups and have led prayer groups.  I’ve finally reached the point in my spiritual life to be astonished that a whole book can be written on the subject of prayer when it can be explained in just three sentences.  Prayer is honest, two-way communication with God.  It is speaking your inner most thoughts and then listening with humility.  It is accepting all that God gives you.  The last is important because if you do not obey what God has revealed to you in your prayer time, you will harden your heart so that it will be difficult to hear Him.  In fact, true prayer is a continuous, open line to God.  You may set aside a special time to bring requests to God or to even offer Him praise and thanksgiving, but if your heart isn’t in an attitude of prayer during the other times I venture to say most of this set-aside time will be in getting your self right so that you can be honest in what you say and open to hearing Him.  It also sends God and us the message that this is God’s time and the rest is our time.  Prayer, therefore, is an attitude and not an activity.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”  Colossians 3:1, 2 

September 21

“Prayer does not give you spiritual power.  Prayer aligns your life with God so that He chooses to demonstrate His power through you.  The purpose of prayer is not to convince God to change your circumstances but to prepare you to be involved in God’s activity.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 9/13

I started a prayer group in a church once--at least, I tried to.  The people’s idea of a group and my idea of a group was not the same thing.  A whole bunch of people signed up to receive the prayer requests, but no one wanted to get together to pray as a group.  After a year, I did have two people who I met with alternately, and I believed God when He said “where two or three are gathered together” He would be there.  Eventually I left that church because of other reasons.  But as I look back I can see the mindset of the church was that the purpose of prayer was to convince God to change their circumstances, and I did little to change that view because I, myself, did not fully understand the purpose of prayer.  Now, years later I’m convinced that “traditional” prayer meetings may not be the way to go.  Instead I believe “prayer meetings” should be the Holy Spirit-driven response to a desire to seek God’s will in a matter.  We, individually, should be in constant prayer with God, in that we are seeking His will for our lives all the time. And we may be called to “pray over” a sick person in order that God’s will be done.   Collectively, however, we should always approach God with an attitude of seeking His will for the Body rather than telling God how He should run His House.   

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”  Matthew 26:39b

June 29

“Praying is being aware of God.  Praying without ceasing is being constantly aware of Him.”  Eugenia Price, S.P.S., 6/29

There were several devotionals today that I could have chosen:  what weapon to use against temptation, how to deal with the big ME, bearing one another’s burdens.  But I keep coming back to Eugenia’s words about praying because it seems to be the umbrella thought for today.  Everything hinges on our relationship with God and as in any good relationship communication must be ongoing.  Prayer is this communication.  The key, though, is the “unceasing” prayer we must maintain with God in order to walk with Him.  We can’t just check in every now and then.  It must be constant.  Eugenia says that this “without ceasing” is a constant awareness of Him.  We don’t have to be in conversation with Him---just aware of Him.  God is at work in us.  His Holy Spirit in us is praying FOR us.  There’s a lot going on in our “hearts”---the place where God resides.  It’s in being aware of this activity that our unceasing prayer takes place.  At any given moment we may be called upon to respond to God’s leading so we must be paying attention.  This awareness keeps us always in tune with God’s voice even while we may be speaking to another person.  This kind of living has nothing to do with “doing”, but rather with “being”---being in a place where we can hear and respond to God.

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Matthew 26:41