On Prayer

Recently, I found myself praying for a particular thing that I pray for often, but this time I felt a particular fervency. As I finished, like with many of my prayers, I followed up my request with “But Thy will be done.” Then something interesting happened. Probably the Holy Spirit--He’s funny that way. I thought, instead of just asking for something, maybe I’ll talk to God about it. So that’s what I did. “Hey God, here’s what’s on my heart and why I’m asking. I know You know better than I do, and I know You ultimately want good for Your children.” He of course already knew all of this, but for me it felt more like talking to a friend than rubbing the magic lamp. And I realized that’s what God wants our prayer to be all the time. May not seem like a big revelation, or maybe you’ve already thought of it, but for me, it was pretty striking. Instead of listing my requests with varying urgency, I can just share my heart with a Father who loves me and will listen. And then rather than feeling like the efficacy of my prayer is based on results, I can know that my prayer is building a relationship, is changing me. Because that’s the whole point anyway.

I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me. -CS Lewis