This morning I was reminded that prayer is about more than asking God for our needs. There are other elements of prayer that are important to pray. There are adoration and thanksgiving. It is to speak to God in a loving and adoring way. It is to thank him for the many blessings he has poured into our lives.
The starting point of our prayers is God. When God is the starting point of our prayers, it leads us to approach our needs with a different mindset. We look at those needs in a different way when we see God for who he is. Through directing our thoughts to God, we are built up to pray for our needs and concerns.
This is how Jesus taught us to pray. Think about the Lord’s Prayer. He teaches us to address God as Father. Then we ask for God’s name to be hallowed. Then his kingdom to come. Then his will to be done. It’s only after we have asked for those things that we turn to our needs. We ask for daily bread, forgiveness of sins, overcoming temptation, and deliverance from evil. Even at the end of the prayer, we turn our thoughts back to God as we acclaim him with the kingdom, glory, power, and dominion.
Something that was said to me today struck me. You are not a prayer worrier. You are a prayer warrior. It is a confidence in God that moves you from the former to the later. Start and end with God. Let God work confidence and faith in you.
Reflection
- Do you need to reflect more on God in your prayers and less on yourself?
- Do you see yourself as a prayer worrier or prayer warrior?
Prayer
Lord, you are almighty. You are God. You are king over all. Nothing is impossible with you. You are the Savior. You are the creator. You inspire. You heal. You make whole. You calm the seas. You defeat mighty armies. Nothing is impossible with you. When I have you, there is nothing else I need. Amen.
Claude Hosch says
I feel there needs to be more confidence in our prayers: to believe one prayer is enough for God to hear and respond. I do not seek “prayer warriors” (though I accept their prayers gladly). For me, seeking prayer warriors means, I don’t trust that my relationship with God is sufficient, and that others are praying for me. That said, true prayer warriors are always praying for humanity … it is their way of life.