Prayer Matters

I’m having a quiet day today. The past several weeks have been a bit much for this introverted individual. I have trouble with back-to-back social engagements, and even multiple noise sources. Here’s an example: our daughter will be trying to talk to me, the kids will be arguing in another room, and my husband will be talking on the phone, pacing from room to room. I will feel my anxiety start to creep up at a rapid pace. Even when I proof read aloud to my husband, I can’t focus if there’s music or other conversations within earshot. It stresses me out. This happens daily, but it’s worse right now.

Aside from the normal day-to-day activities that come with raising kiddos and the times where it’s necessary to be social, we’re also facing a graduation year for our eldest – more socializing. Not to give us anything easy, she’s decided to get married 8 days after she gets her diploma – a lot more socializing. I’m just talking about socializing before the graduation and wedding! Needless to say, I was in need of a quiet day. Quiet days can refresh the spirit and rejuvenate the body. Many times, I’m able to delve deeper introspectively during these times of solitude. Other times I just want to be able to get laundry done or take a nap.

I decided to divide the time equally between writing, laundry, and talking to myself. Ironic that I stress out with too much noise; I find myself yearning for silence, but then I’ll fill the silence with my own voice. Many of the words are a prayer and others are my own process of working out my writing. This little bit of time alone with my thoughts and prayers got me to thinking about, well, prayers. I’m not sure I’ve ever shared how prayer has impacted my life – at least the prayers that I know about. I’m going to share with you the first part of the “dialogue” I enjoyed listening to in my own head – and some out loud.

I grew up in the church and, in regards to prayer, I heard things like “…if it’s God’s will…” or “…Lord, if it’s Your will…” I always felt powerless and completely uncertain of everything. Other things I heard only added to the confusion: “…God is mysterious…” and “…His ways are not our ways…” and the like. Along with being taught performance coupled with the feeling I would never be able to measure up, I came to have a very negative opinion of God. I was lost, even as a Christian! But my Christianity was established on religion and not relationship.

With my dissatisfaction, I eventually left the church scene. I decided that there was no point since I would probably be spit out later for being “lukewarm” anyways (see what the Bible says about that here). While I didn’t experience satisfaction in religion, I really had no satisfaction in the world. It had been about 7 years that I had been away from the church – I still wasn’t willing yet to go back – but I wanted to do my own digging. I started reading my Bible and the verses I had once read, and thought to be dead, came alive! I started seeing Jesus – grace and love – on every page!

When I started dating my, now, husband, he was experiencing a similar revelation of who God is and His true nature. Most of our early relationship was long distance, so we got creative and did Bible studies together. And we prayed together. When I had dropped religion, I only prayed as a last resort. I had carried with me the notion that God’s will was God’s will and who was I to pray in a way that might be contrary to that supreme will? Again, it was a negative experience with religion that attached a negative connotation to the word “sovereign.” I was just starting to understand that sovereign didn’t mean that we humans are stringed puppets. I was starting to discover God’s will – and how misplaced our understanding of His will tends to be.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) italics for emphasis

This passage has become a favorite. Reading further into verse 23, Paul is deliberate to state that God is the God of peace. In verse 24, God is further described as faithful. This doesn’t sound like someone who would not want someone to be healed. “…Lord, if it’s your will, please heal so-and-so…” Did Jesus ever tell the sick that it wasn’t God’s will to heal them? Or that it wasn’t God’s will to heal them yet? If so, please comment below the verse or passage in the Bible – I want to make sure there’s no misunderstanding.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV) more italics for emphasis

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) notice the italics for emphasis again

God’s will is for everyone to be saved; for everyone to come to repentance. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be in Heaven for eternity. Some, because they choose not to believe, will end up in Hell. Many stand on a pillar of sand and say that God chose, before time ever began, who would go to Hell. Does this mean we don’t need to send missionaries? I mean, if people in Africa are predestined to be in Heaven, I don’t really need to go. Sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it? There are many religious people that use this as a way to shirk off the ownership of their failures – and to neglect the authority that came at such a high price – the very life of Jesus.

As I spent time wrapping my mind around the true intentions of God and His desires for good, I acquired a new appreciation for praying. Around the same time, I was planning my own wedding and preparing for a significant move: from Georgia to Alaska. It seemed to be impossible from a financial standpoint. We had some specifics on our minds to make the move possible, so we decided to pray about it. We didn’t embellish with flowery words that made us sound holy – we didn’t “plead the blood” over and over and we didn’t try to convince God of our cause. The reality was that we made a list in the back of a journal and did a pretty quick prayer. We didn’t even pray about it every night, just when we remembered to.

As the day drew closer for our cross-country move, everything on our list received a nice little check-mark. God provided an early out from my lease, a truck, a car-dolly, gas money, lodging, and even took care of the weather for us. Everything we had was either in the car being towed or under the tarp in the truck bed. I remember we were driving in the mid-west and that year they were desperate for rain – and we were praying for God to hold it back. Rainfall would have ruined our cargo. It was just stuff, but we still cared about it. Apparently God cared about it, too. God also cared about the rainfall that people were praying for – it rained on both sides of the road, but not on us.

We made it all the way up through Canada and down to the Kenai Peninsula, unloaded everything from the car and truck, storing it in the garage. Once the final box was carried in, the heavens opened up and it rained for the next two and a half months. A verse that comes to mind when I think back on this time comes out of the Old Testament in Zephaniah.

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

You matter to God. What matters to you, matters to God. Instead of using the religious version of “God’s will” as a cop-out, let’s get excited that once again we see that God is a good, good God! He wants everyone to be saved! He’s not sending people to Hell (see John 3:16-21), He’s not striking people with sickness or disabilities, and He’s not picking His favorites all in the name of His “unknowable ways.” His favorite was His one and only Son, and it pleased God to crush Him so that we might possibly choose a relationship with Him instead of a religion (Isaiah 53:10-12). Oh, you matter so much to God! And so do your prayers.