Prayer

[Brother John]

I would appreciate some guidance from the PB. I pray many times a day; morning, night, meals, with my family and other random times. The problem is that I feel like all I do is ask for things such as wisdom, protection, patience, etc.... I feel childish. How can I deepen my prayers to the Lord? Can anyone link some sermons or articles? Any suggestions or counsel?

 

[Contra_Mundum]

Personally, I'm convinced that most of our mistakes in prayer come from not understanding what it does, what it's there for. Prayer's first benefit is to the prayer. It's purpose is so that we will "draw near" to God. The ultimate answer to our prayers is to be satisfied, not in the answer, but in the Answerer.

In this way, if the child we pray for never is converted, or our spouse dies of the cancer, in pain, in short if our prayers do not receive the response we hoped for, we understand that the decreed purpose for the prayer was still met: I, the prayer, drew near to God; and according to his promise, he drew near to me.

Of course, the God who tells us he delights to work through means--principally through prayers of his people--will evidently answer many of those prayers even more than we asked or imagined. He is the heavenly FATHER. We fathers understand this relation through our reactions to our own children's cries. Don't you want to be "childish" in this sense? James says to "ask for wisdom." (1:5)

And I'll go one step further, and offer the reminder that we should not expect God to do anything that he has promised to do in response to our prayers if we DON'T pray. NOT praying is a faithless act. "That man should not believe he will receive anything from the Lord." (James 1:7)

Sometimes we need to stop being "strong" and rejoice in our "juvenile" relation to the Father.

 

[a mere housewife]

Personally, I'm convinced that most of our mistakes in prayer come from not understanding what it does, what it's there for. Prayer's first benefit is to the prayer. It's purpose is so that we will "draw near" to God. The ultimate answer to our prayers is to be satisfied, not in the answer, but in the Answerer.

In this way, if the child we pray for never is converted, or our spouse dies of the cancer, in pain, in short if our prayers do not receive the response we hoped for, we understand that the decreed purpose for the prayer was still met: I, the prayer, drew near to God; and according to his promise, he drew near to me.

Of course, the God who tells us he delights to work through means--principally through prayers of his people--will evidently answer many of those prayers even more than we asked or imagined. He is the heavenly FATHER. We fathers understand this relation through our reactions to our own children's cries. Don't you want to be "childish" in this sense? James says to "ask for wisdom." (1:5)

And I'll go one step further, and offer the reminder that we should not expect God to do anything that he has promised to do in response to our prayers if we DON'T pray. NOT praying is a faithless act. "That man should not believe he will receive anything from the Lord." (James 1:7)

Sometimes we need to stop being "strong" and rejoice in our "juvenile" relation to the Father.

Thanks much for this Bruce. I have only these past years begun to learn that crying is an act of faith; that it is no part of His will for me to sit silently and think "I should just shut up and let God do His will": He has pleasure in saving, helping, blessing me; it is His will that I should ask.

Blev3rd: I read a book by the predecessor of Lloyd-Jones on the Lord's Prayer (I think it was G. Campbell Morgan?) before we were married that was very helpful to me. Ruben has since clarified a lot of my theology so I am not sure if there are things I would disagree with now that I didn't then, but I still think I could recommend it as a good help. The Lord's prayer, the Psalms, and trying to be aware of the struggles of brothers and sisters in Christ have been helpful to me as I struggle to pray more aright.

 

[turmeric]

I've always heard that we should spend time adoring God, not just bringing our "grocery lists", still I find myself bringing the "list" every day. I'm not skilled in praise, unfortunately, and have had to unlearn a lot that I was taught in Charismania and higher-life groups. Sometimes, reading the word and/or a good exposition of the word, I find myself praising God "on the fly" when I'm struck by some beauty of His character; but it's still so informal.

 

[a mere housewife]

I've always heard that we should spend time adoring God, not just bringing our "grocery lists", still I find myself bringing the "list" every day. I'm not skilled in praise, unfortunately, and have had to unlearn a lot that I was taught in Charismania and higher-life groups. Sometimes, reading the word and/or a good exposition of the word, I find myself praising God "on the fly" when I'm struck by some beauty of His character; but it's still so informal.

I think that was one of the things the book on the Lord's Prayer helped me with, and is why I still remember it: if I remember correctly he spoke of praise as how we approach God so that our hearts are still before Him, and so we make our petitions in a right frame of mind, with submissive wills. This is another reason why the Psalms are so helpful to me.