Why We Need To Pray, and Why We Often Don't

I've been averaging one chapter every other day. I'd like to share some of my personal notes on what I've read so far. There are focus questions for each chapter, as well, which has been helpful in organizing my thoughts.

Chapter One outlined our basic need for prayer. Being a Disciple means having a relationship with God, our Father. We cannot have a relationship if we never talk to Him.

- How can prayer seem to impose on our individuality?
   Our society teaches us that we must accomplish things on our own merits, our own efforts. To turn the control over to God via prayer, to put our reliance on Him, runs counter to our social norms.

- What draws you to prayer?
    Extreme situations and fear are often the things that drive me to prayer.

- What causes you to resist praying?
     - I do no make prayer a priority, therefore I am not making my relationship with God a priority.
     - I feel like I am being a nuisance to God when I pray.
     - I worry that my prayers will seem selfish or worldly.
     - I too often try to manage everything on my own.
     - I worry my requests will not be in alignment with His will.

Chapter 2 focused on the first of many very important facts about God and His love for us. It explored God's role as our Heavenly Father, and how He is willing to not only listen, but to answer our prayers as well. In Luke 18, a widow gets an unrighteous judge to rule in her favor by pestering him continuously. God is righteous and God has a familial relationship with us. God is much more inclined than the judge was to listen to our requests and responded both favorable and quickly.

This is something that I know to be true. It is only logical that God loves us. He told us many times in His Word, and send His Son to die for us.  As much as I know this, as I believe this, I do not OWN this truth. I struggle, I worry, and, in the end, I avoid. God loves me, but often I wonder why that is so. Even in experiencing my love for my own children, I have trouble realizing that God has those same feelings for me a million times over. God delights in showering His children with many blessings.

I am not naive, however. I know that not every request I make of God will be answered as I want it to be. He has a plan for me, that may or may not align with my wants. God wants me to grow and mature- this cannot be done with all sunshine and roses. God will do what is best for me every time. I may not always understand it or see the reason, but I have no doubts that He has my best interest, and yours, at heart.

I also came to realization that the thing I am most uncomfortable with, making requests of God (because they tend to feel worldly, materialistic, or selfish), is only a small part of the conversation He wants to have with me. He wants to hear my struggles, my feelings, my thoughts, my concerns.  

I can now tell myself that if it something I would want my boys to share with me, I should share it with my Heavenly Father. God doesn't care how mundane it is. God doesn't care if I've made a royal mistake. What He cares is that I share my life with Him, that I allow Him to see me at my most vulnerable, and at my most successful. He wants an opportunity to guide me, to share in both my joys and my sorrows. He wants me to be 100% honest with Him.

This is a big step for my. I can't quite figure out if it is pride or insecurity that is at the root of my feelings, but I do know that they only way for this part of my relationship with God to change is by me praying, praying daily, continuously, in good times and in bad.

Chapter 3 continued with a discussion of God's ability to answer prayer, outlining His power and sovereignty over nature, circumstances, and people. I do not feel that doubting God's power is something I struggle with, but it was refreshing to review the numerous examples the Bibles gives us of God's omnipotence and supreme authority.

I know that I can control nothing, and God does not want me to try. He wants me to rely on Him for all things so that I can have true peace in my heart. When I begin to worry about something, I usually turn to Philippians 4:6-7: ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

One of the end of chapter questions was: Is it easier for you to go to God with small requests or major requests? Why?
 For me, I tend to only go with large requests when I am fearful. I convince myself that God doesn't want to be bothered with the small requests, that they are not worth His time. Even with the major requests, I find myself in prayer only when fear has overcome my heart. Sometimes, I might feel peace at the thought that God is in control, and I let that keep me from praying. "I'm not really worried. I know God's got this. He doesn't need to hear about it from me." In a way, that statement is true. God always has control and He doesn't NEED to hear about anything from me, but He WANTS to. God gives us everything. He made us, he provides for us, he supplied a route to Heaven for us, even when we are so unworthy. Who am I to deny Him what He wants-- for me to have a conversation with Him, even though He's already got a handle on everything.

This has me thinking about a song I've heard recently, "Better Than a Halleluiah". The course is as such:
We pour our our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a halleluiah.

When I first heard this song, I thought that it was kind of twisted. How dare anyone say that God has joy when we are sorrowful. Now I realize that the song is not saying God rejoices in our pain, but that He rejoices when we turn to Him in our troubles. As much as I hate to see my children hurt, it warms my heart when they come to Mommy to talk to, or for her kisses to make it all better. 

So, that's what I've been learning and thinking about this week. Please pray for me to continue to strengthen in this area.

Much Love,
~Mandy

     

Topic 1: Prayer

I often find that I have a lot of trouble praying unless I am faced with an emergency or some other high stress situation. I usually try to justify my reluctance to pray with thoughts such as, "God knows my heart," or "Nothing I have to say is all that important." When I was a new mom, I would convince myself that falling asleep while praying was more disrespectful to God than not praying at all.

I know in my heart that these thoughts are merely excuses, that they keep me from confronting my real problems: my prioritization, my lack of compassion for others, my pride, my insecurities, and, worst of all, my failure to make Jesus Lord in all aspects of my life.

Jesus must be Lord of my life in order for me to reap all the benefits of being His Disciple, and in order to me to be used to my utmost potential for His purpose.

During the month of January, I will be reading the book Too Busy NOT To Pray by Bill Hybels. I will also be studying scriptures on prayer and implementing changes into my personal prayer life as I go along.

John 15:1-8 outlines how God must cut away the branches of the vine that do not bear fruit. In order to bear fruit, we must remain in Christ. The first step to remaining in Christ is to cultivate a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him through prayer.

Much Love,
~Mandy

*Disclaimer: I have not been compensated in any way for writing about the book 
Too Busy NOT To Pray. My blog posts are not meant to be an endorsement of the book in any way. The book is merely a tool I am using along my journey.