I know of a brother who, when he prays, always thanks God for the “beautiful day” that we are having. I have heard him say that in prayer on days that the rain was coming down in sheets, and the wind was howling so loud that it was difficult to hear. Now, some may say that he is guilty of rogue repetition–he’s just saying what he always says. However, I know differently, because he often elaborates on his thoughts. He seems to always find good in whatever kind of day that we are having (weather wise) and expresses his thankfulness to God. The snow is beautiful. The rain makes things grow. The sunshine warms us. He thinks of these things, and expresses them to God.
I believe we often forget just how great of a blessing prayer is for us as the children of God. We have the ability to go before His throne, without fear (Hebrews 4:16), and bring our petitions to Him. Sometimes we don’t think about this blessing until we have gotten ourselves into some problem and can’t find the way out. We think of Him only when we need something from Him. How many people think they are strong enough to get through anything that life can throw at them, and therefore don’t need God, and don’t need to ask Him for anything? As the children of God, we should see our open line of communication with our Father. We can pray to Him, and He will hear us–and more importantly, He can answer us!
But, the ability to make requests of God is only a portion of what we should use this line of communication for. How long would we keep friends in this world if we only called upon them when we needed something from them? There is much more that can be done in prayer than just asking God for the things that we need (though that is certainly a valuable blessing!). If we don’t use prayer for all that it is intended, we are missing out on this great blessing handed to us by our God.
What other blessings are a part of prayer? Consider just a few…
Praise. We can use our time in prayer to praise God for who He is, and for what He has done. This is not something that is needed by God, for He does not change whether or not I praise Him. However, it is a great blessing for us! Even a casual reading of the Psalms reveals need for us to praise God. Many of the Psalms are prayers that are converted into songs for the purpose of the people praising God. When we spend time in praise, how can we possibly forget the majesty of God? How can we forget what He has done for us, caring for us and providing spiritual salvation for us? We can praise Him for His creation, and for providing every spiritual blessing through His Son. We could spend much time praising God in our prayer!
Thanksgiving. Sometimes we are quick to ask God to help us, but not so quick to remember to thank Him when He answers our prayers. We often make requests for physical blessings, or health and then fail to thank God for answering us in abundance. How often might we ask for the healing of one of our loved ones, and then forget to thank God when that loved one regains his health? It is easy to become consumed by our concerns, but we never should take our answered prayers for granted. We can also use prayer to express our general thankfulness to God for His overflowing blessings. He provides so much to us, we should remember to be thankful for His blessing (James 1:16-18).
Sharing concerns, trials. God does not need us to tell Him what troubles us, but it is a great blessing for us to be able to share it with Him. Sharing our troubles with God through prayer helps us to identify exactly what is going on in our lives, and will help us to turn to Him and His word for solutions. Sometimes we may become very self centered, and think that we can find our own solutions. However, if we are casting our burden upon Him, we will be turning to Him for answers. That may mean asking for His help in some way, but it may simply be a way of pinpointing our own issues, and committing ourselves to solutions based upon His desires for us (as expressed in His own word).
It may be challenging, but try to offer a prayer to God without asking Him for anything. How much have we come to look upon prayer as only a time to make requests (sometimes even selfish requests) rather than a time of talking with our Father? Sometimes we need to just stop and consider our relationship with Him. Have we expressed our gratitude to Him for His loving kindness? Have we expressed thankfulness for the beauty of His creation, and His provision for our every need through it? Have we praised Him for being our God, and the all powerful creator of our world? Just once today, try going to God in prayer expressing only gratitude and praise. It is good to ask God for what we need, but let’s not become consumed with only making requests. If we do, we are definitely forgetting one of the greatest blessings that God has given to us!
~Kris Brewer, April 2010
