Lord, teach us to pray (part 2)

“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1 NIV) 

I’m very uncomfortable when I hear people trying to make prayer a formula for getting what they want. I would think God does not appreciate attempts to manipulate Him.  

This is much more akin to practicing sorcery than prayer. A sorcerer will utter a series of words where syntax and precision are important to realize the desired result. A spell uttered correctly compels a spirit to give or to do what they want. 

There are hundreds of books on prayer. Some of them are very good. Others are close to blasphemous. What I write about are some principles to guide you. Prayer is communicating with a loving God whose ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours. 

All the great people of the New Testament and in written church history since then have been people of fervent and earnest prayer. Their biographies are instructive. Prayer changes us as we draw near to Him who will draw near to us. We experience this in our earthly life. Our closest friends influence us as we spend time together. General Colin Powell mentioned in his book that associating with great leaders will help us become better leaders. 

Jesus, Himself, “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

I doubt Jesus did this to get stuff from the Father. Prayer is a dialogue with our loving Father which involves much, much more than merely asking for things. What parent likes to only hear from their children when they want something? Practice a life of prayer rather than having a prayer life. I hope you can see the distinction. 

Unanswered prayers seem to give people the greatest trouble. We must come to a place where we quit thinking of God as a fairy godmother or a genie in a bottle to grant our wishes. Faith involves trusting the goodness of God no matter what we want or think we should get.  

Do you know the greatest unanswered prayer of the Bible? It can be found in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.” 

Bud McConnaughey serves on the staff of North Summit Church, 201 N. Division, Sandpoint.