Honest Prayer
This week's entry comes from Because Crack is Illegal- a 30 day devotional for moms
Every Wednesday we pray as a staff at church. One Wednesday one of our sweet leaders requested prayer for her grandson because he had a bunch of girls who wanted to date him, and like any grandmother, she wanted to protect him from pushy girls. One of my closest friends started to pray for him, and I love listening to her pray because she prays exactly what she is thinking. She said, “I just bind the spirit of skank in the name of Jesus!” I honestly don’t remember what else was said after that because I was trying my hardest to suppress my laughter. Here are two reasons I believe God loved that prayer: (1) because she was praying from her heart, and (2) she was praying with honesty.
God isn’t looking for a holy prayer; He is looking for an honest prayer. I think prayer can be really intimidating for people because they aren’t sure how to pray. Is there a method to it? Will I do it wrong? What if I sound stupid? These were all questions I used to ask myself. I had a light bulb moment when I realized prayer was another word for talking to God. God wants us to talk to Him all the time, about everything. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing. As moms we need to be praying…a lot. God is interesting; He doesn’t operate on our timetable, so I realize I can pray for things in the future and know He hears those prayers too. I’m basically the Bubba Gump of prayer; I pray for my sons’ future wives and for my daughter’s future husband. I pray for God to show me how to raise my kids so they do what HE created them to do, not what I want them to do. I pray they will not have a prodigal son or daughter season, and they will never wander off the path He has designed for them. I pray for the learning differences they have. I pray for their teachers. I pray for everything because I know God hears my prayers.
I also pray for me. Sometimes we can believe that praying for ourselves is selfish but honestly I need as much prayer as I can get. I know I need God to cover me with grace every day to make the right choices, to react rationally, and to open my eyes to the things that He wants me to do in order to be His hands and feet in my everyday life. I make it a point to wake up before the kids to cover my day and theirs with prayer. This is THE most important thing I do every day because it sets the tone for the rest of my day. When I start slipping in my prayer time I feel it. I get irritated easily, frustrated faster, have a hard time making decisions, and I feel empty. This is an area we all need to maintain daily.
Often times we forget that prayer and the nearness we get to have with Jesus is a gift. Before Jesus came to Earth, God’s people didn’t have access to Him like we do today. There was a separation between Him and us because of sin that we couldn’t get across. The only remedy to fix that separation was a perfect sacrifice, and that sacrifice was Jesus. After Jesus was crucified we are told the veil was torn (Matthew 27:51). The veil was in place to protect the people from God’s presence because we couldn’t stand before the Lord in our sinful state. However, when Jesus paid the price for our sins and the veil was torn this signified we were now able to regain access to God. He hears YOU when you pray. We need to change our perspectives from we have to pray to we get to pray. Not only do we get to put our needs at His feet we also get to hear from Him. We get access to heavenly answers, ideas, strategies, comfort, peace, joy, and hope when we quiet ourselves in prayer and also listen to him. He has so much He wants to teach us and tell us, but we need to be willing to listen. This can be an art form because we are so accustomed to moving all day long, but we need to stop, be still, and listen to Him.
We need to make time to spend with Jesus, quietly. I will pray while I run. I will also turn on worship music and pray while I am stuck in my car driving my kids all over the city for their sports. I find time to spend with the Lord because it has become a non-negotiable in my life. Maybe this is a new concept to you and that is okay! You have to start somewhere, so just open your mouth and talk to Him. You can ask Him to teach you how to pray. He’s not looking for something holy, He’s looking for something honest.
How often do you pray?
Where does pray fall in your list of priorities?
How do you feel after you pray? How do you feel when you forget to pray or go a long time without prayer?
Where are moments in your day when you can pray and spend time with the Lord?
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