Praying Because You Can - Pt 2

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:8-10 ESV).

Prayer, very simply, is talking to God. It is irreducibly relational. It’s personal. God is the Absolute Person, and we are the derivative persons, fashioned in his image. In a sense, prayer is as basic as persons relating to each other, conversing, interacting, but with this significant difference: In this relationship, he is Creator, and we are creatures. He is Lord, and we are servants, but because of his amazing love and extravagant grace, he invites us to interact. He has opened his mouth. Now he opens his ear. Prayer, for the Christian, is not merely talking to God, but responding to the one who has initiated toward us. He has spoken first. It is not a conversation we start, but a relationship into which we’ve been drawn. His voice breaks the silence. Then, in prayer, we speak to the God who has spoken. One of the most powerful images I have ever seen is in our picture today. It is a Bible fused with metal from the attacks of 9/11. There is so much symbolism in this image. At least one principle I have taken from it is that our asking and pleading and requesting spring not from our emptiness, but his fullness. Prayer doesn’t begin with our needs, but with his bounty. It shouldn’t surprise us, then, to find that prayer is not about getting things from God, but getting God. Born in response to his voice, prayer makes its requests of God, but is not content to only receive from God. Prayer must have him. It is not wrong to want God’s gifts and ask for them. However, ultimately every gift should be desired because it shows us and brings us more of him. When this world totally fails us, the ground for our joy remains. It is our Father. Therefore, surely every prayer for life and health, home and family, job and career in this world is secondary. And the great purpose of prayer is to ask that God would be our joy. Or, as C.S. Lewis says so memorably, “Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine.” Go ahead, talk to Him. He’s got it! And, He is working all of it to your good!