It is important for a Christian to have a meaningful prayer life. Many of us pray before we eat and that’s good. Especially, when we’re out. Bowing our head and giving God thanks for our meal in the middle of a restaurant is a way to show others that we believe in God as the provider. It’s the easiest way to “evangelize.” You don’t have to say anything to anyone. You just speak to the LORD and He hears you. God loves to hear from us beyond mealtime, however. He loves to hear from His children all the time. Any time.
That’s what prayer is. In fact, the most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is the communication of the human soul with the creator of the soul. It is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate with God and to fellowship with Him. There is no “specific” way to pray. Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal. But, as believers, we should be in daily communication.
Did you know that in America people between the ages of 18 and 24 communicate via text on average 124 times per day? That’s about eight times every waking hour. Even old folks like me (55 and up) average sixteen texts per day or once an hour. We apparently have a lot to say, don’t we? Imagine if we communicated with God eight times an hour. Or once an hour. We don’t, I believe, because we have narrowed our understanding of prayer to a kind of “wish list.” LORD, please help me with…heal my…fix the… It’s often a lot or requests. And even then, I used to wonder. How many times do I ask God to help with my problem? Does He not hear me the first time? He does. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him (Matthew 6:7-8)!
Okay, so we shouldn’t repeat ourselves. God knows what we want. What about then when Jesus says, “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). And how about Paul saying, “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:13). I’m confused. Which is it? It’s both.
Merely repeating words is a reference to ritual. Thinking that repeating a prayer or mantra – like saying the rosary perhaps – has some sort of divine power. There’s nothing wrong with praying the rosary but praying it twelve times is not “better” or more effective than praying it once. How many times then should I pray for my loved one to be healed? As many as it takes. It’s not that God isn’t listening to you. God answers all prayer in three ways – “Yes,” “No,” and “Not yet.” We only want to hear “yes” but “no” and “not yet” are answers too. And as Job said, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad” (Job 2:10)? God has His reasons for saying, “No.” So, why should we repeat our prayers?
We do so because, as with Job, God is testing us. Our patience. Do we truly believe He is listening? Faith that He will answer us? Trust in His purpose and plan whatever it may be. A lot of people will give up when they don’t get what they want when they want it.
Talk to the LORD. Tell Him about your day. Your hopes and dreams. Your gratefulness and appreciation. He’d love to hear from you 124 times a day but more than once would be great.
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Remember you can email praise reports and prayer requests to southchurchprayer@gmail.com. I lift them up every Wednesday at 4:00 pm on Facebook Live.