Prayer. Inadvertently and I guess, through ignorance, I spent the first 50 years of my life praying in a particular way and from a specific perspective. This was what I was taught and I didn’t think to consider an alternative. This type of prayer usually referred to as “intercession” is essentially an exercise in begging God to be merciful, kind or loving towards us or our loved ones. Honestly, this is how I prayed for years, and many believers still do. But Holy Spirit has now (I believe) explained to me how pointless and foolish this is.
God Does Not Need Persuasion
Much of the time this is asking God to prove He is good by solving my problem or meeting my need. This is rather like asking water to be wet or the sun to be warm. It’s a waste of energy and it exposes the belief that God won’t be good unless I spend hours on my knees. It also assumes that God won’t be good, kind, loving, or merciful unless I plead with Him and get others to beg along with me. Sometimes I still catch myself coming to God in this begging mode that assumes He may not be my loving Father unless I persuade Him.
God Does Not Ignore Us
Do we believe that God will not be true to Himself? He may ignore me? If He truly loved me He would solve all my problems. His primary interest is an intimate and deepening relationship with us.
“The way in which God demonstrates His love for us is not (often) by solving our problem, issue, challenge or need.” It is vital that we grasp that the Lord loves us whether He solves our problem issue or not.
It’s good to frequently remember who God already is and what he has already done to demonstrate this goodness and mercy over and over again. Take time out to meditate on His love and goodness and recall the times and situations where He demonstrated that. Then lock into your mind and spirit the awareness of His amazing heart. To then look at our challenges or needs from this “focused” place will radically change our perspective of that issue.
God is always a good father, Jesus continues to redeem us and Holy Spirit is always by our side. If we find ourselves thinking or feeling that these facts are not true for us, then we are misunderstanding God. The answer is to go deeper relationally with Him. Fear subsides in His presence. Doubts are displaced by His love and problems find their proper place.
Prayer: Final Words
This is learning to see our issues in the light of who God is, rather than our problems shaping our view of who God is. This is transformational for a believer. Stop praying in the old way and it will reorient perspective. Praying in the new way will revolutionise your impact on your world. This transition always opens up the whole realm of declaration and pronouncing blessing.
Navigator Jo