One great reason for prayerlessness is the lack of the living, joyous assurance that God will hear us. But if God’s servant gets a vision of the living God waiting to grant their request, and to bestow all the heavenly gifts of the Spirit they are in need of, for themselves or those they are serving, how everything would be set aside to make time and room for this wonderful power that ensures heavenly blessing — the power of faith! ~ Andrew Murray
Contrary to popular opinion, prayer is not primarily about getting what we want from God. It is about entering into God’s plan for us. Prayer is not about getting ahold of God, it is about the Lord of the universe getting ahold of us. I learned this lesson in a powerful way while sitting on the sidelines of a soccer game, cheering on my son.
There I sat, with all the other soccer moms and dads on the sidelines. It was a sunny Michigan day, and I was ready to fully engage in support of my son, even to pray for him. I prayed with my eyes wide open, intently watching my son and his teammates as they warmed up for the game. “Lord, help my son’s team to win. They have practiced so hard, and a win would be such an encouragement to them. In the name of Jesus, amen.”
As I was praying, my eyes fell on the line of soccer moms and dads on the other side of the field. These were the parents of the kids playing on the opposing team. As I looked more closely at these parents, I recognized a number of them. They attended our church!
Even as I was praying for our team to be victorious, it hit me — these other parents were probably praying the same thing. They, too, wanted their children to have a great day, score some goals, and experience the affirmation of winning. As parents on opposite sides of the field, might we be putting God in a bit of a conundrum? What is the Lord of glory to do when parents from the same church, who all love their children and all believe in the power of prayer, pray in direct opposition to each other?
To this point in my day, my prayers had been a monologue, letting God know what I would like from Him. When this dilemma hit me, I shifted to a dialogue in my prayer. Instead of telling God to grant our team victory, I asked God, What should I pray?
I wondered what Jesus would pray if He were in such a situation.
I thought of Jesus’ teaching in the gospel of John when He said,
And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it. — John 14:13–14
Does this verse promise that I will get whatever I want as long as I ask in prayer and give a hearty “In the name of Jesus” at the end of my supplication? What if two Christians are asking for opposing things? Does God become the great heavenly tiebreaker? Or is there more to prayer than my simply getting what I ask?
The kids were stretching and the game had not even started and already my head was spinning with theological quandaries. “Lord, is it wrong to pray for my son’s team to win?” I had a conviction in my heart that it was not wrong, in a sinful way, to pray this, but I also felt there might be better ways to pray. I asked the Lord,
“Teach me to pray.”
“Show me how to communicate with You in situations like this. I want to be a person of prayer, but I suspect that sometimes my prayers are too narrow and self-serving.”
The Holy Spirit responded. He flooded my mind and heart with new ways to pray. Instead of simply asking for a victory for half the kids on the field, why not pray for all the children to play to the best of their abilities? Why not pray for each player to have fun and stay safe and injury-free? This would allow me to pray for each child, no matter the color of the jersey. I began to pray in this way, moving my eyes from child to child. By now the game had started, so I prayed for these athletes as they ran, kicked, dove, and sometimes fell down. I felt the Lord prompting me to pray for each child who knew Jesus to grow in Christlikeness, whether they won or lost, and for the Christian players and parents (including me) to be positive witnesses for those who did not yet know Jesus.
By the time the game was over, I had learned a new way of talking to the God who listens. And I discovered more about listening to the God who speaks. I can’t even remember if my son’s team won that game, but I will never forget what I learned about speaking to God that day. No matter how the game turned out, the day was a win — every child received the blessing of prayer.
- God really is listening, and He wants us to speak to Him.
He loves when His children communicate with their heavenly Father. The problem is that our prayers are often too small. We ask for victories at sporting events, we request toys that break and rust, and we cry out for transitory pleasures.
When we read what Jesus said in John 14:13–14,
And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it,
we often rush to the “ask me for anything” and miss the heart of Jesus’ words. What if the purpose behind this invitation is Jesus trying to teach us how to speak intimately and effectively with God?
What if this passage is about more than getting answers to our requests for things we want? What is Jesus getting at in this often-quoted and rarely understood passage?
Excerpted with permission from Organic Prayer by Sherry Harney with Kevin Harney, copyright Sherry Harney and Kevin Harney.
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Your Turn
What if we’re praying the wrong things? What if our prayer life could be much bigger and broader? God loves regular conversation with us! Are you talking to Him? ~ Devotionals Daily