Praying Child of God

According to the Bible, we are assured of many things concerning praying to God, the eternal Creator of all things.  The true, living God knows all and is able to do everything:  nothing is hard or impossible for Him.  We can know God hears and answers prayers of those who need Him.  This morning I was reminded of this when I read Psalm 102:17:  "He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer."  God invites and welcomes His people who pray to Him.  His words to the prophet Jeremiah shows God's ready willingness to answer prayer as it is written in Jeremiah 33:2-3:  "Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): ³ 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'"  God freely chose to reveal Himself to people He created in His image so we might have a relationship with Him, and what is a relationship without regular, personal communication?

Perhaps you have heard people pray with flowery language or in Old English, with copious sprinklings of "thee" and "thy."  While some have prayer books, the only prayer book needed is the Bible that holds forth the divine revelation of God and His will.  Perhaps one of the most tricky things is people feel for prayer to be effective they must follow some sort of formula they are ignorant of, not realising God looks favourably upon a humble heart regardless of the words spoken.  Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee who "prayed with himself" and touted all his service and sacrifices for the LORD, and he expressed gratitude God had elevated him far above base sinners--despite his proud, hypocritical display.  Jesus said in Luke 18:13-14, "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Some expect they will be answered because of their many words, others put a measure of confidence in who or how many people pray for them, and others insist particular words they use are akin to invoking magic utterances that cut through spiritual red tape to expedite the granting of their requests.  The simple prayer of the tax collector in the parable shatters these notions, for he went home justified and received God's mercy just for asking.  Simply put, God hears prayer, delights to answer prayer, and invites people to pray to Him because He desires a relationship with us.  In addition to looking favourably upon the humble in heart, God responds to the prayer of faith.  James taught the prayer of faith would save the sick or weary, and confession of sin and repentance leads to spiritual healing and wholeness that is in Christ, freely offered to all who are born again (James 5:13-16).

Philippians 4:4-7 holds forth God's will for every believer by faith and obedience to Him:  "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  See the joyful, grateful attitude we ought to have in praying to God who loves us and answers prayer!  Praying is not only for special occasions or before meals and going to bed, for Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:  "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

When we pray, let us never forget we are not God.  Our role is not to tell God what He ought to do or how He could use something for His glory (hoping for our will to be done), for God is infinitely wiser than us.  Books on prayer have a place, but better than reading a sample prayer it is better to pray from the heart to God ourselves knowing He loves us, with confidence He delights to hear and answer us, and that nothing is difficult for Him.  In praying we seek the LORD who guides, helps us and needs no help Himself.  We pray not to earn God's favour but because we have received His favour in Christ and are responding with joyful obedience, glad to cast our cares upon Him, make our requests known, and rest in the knowledge He will answer in His time.  There is no one more carefree and glad than the praying, trusting child of God.