Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty

In my last devotional we learned the importance of being prepared for spiritual warfare. Today we'll talk about how we do that. The most important and most powerful means we have to prepare for battle is prayer. Prayer is an incredibly useful tool in the hands of a Christian.

I believe prayer is the single most powerful weapon we have. We simply cannot walk the Christian walk without prayer. It can't be done. Jesus set the perfect example of a life centered on prayer with the Father (Matt 6:5-14; 26:36). It is absolutely essential that we keep ourselves in a attitude or state of prayer at all times. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Php 4:6-7, italics mine). "Be joyful always; pray continually; giv[ing] thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1Th 5:16-18, italics mine). Praying continually requires an "attitude" of prayer, where we go through our day with an open channel from our hearts and minds to the Lord's above. Sometimes our most powerful prayers are the ones we pray "on the run" while doing the shopping, driving the kids to soccer practice, or waiting in line at the bank. It doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing. The idea is to just pray!

Too many people erroneously believe that our prayers must be prayed in a certain order beginning with the comfortable (and mechanical) opening. Our requests and petitions follow. Then finally an ending (almost always, "In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.") We mustn't become bogged down with repetitious and mechanical prayers, saying the same thing over and over again as if the words themselves are magical. Some of the most effective prayers are those fleeting thoughts that fly briskly through our minds, "Thank You, Lord," "Forgive me, Lord," "Help me, Lord," and so on. We must keep ourselves in an attitude of prayer at all times. Don't stop what you're doing to pray. Pray while you're doing it! We must learn to go through our day with a constant conversation running through our minds between ourselves and the Lord. We should talk to Him about whatever is on our hearts. It can be a prayer of just one word or a paragraph of 100 words.

When I first became a Christian I didn't know how to pray. I didn't know how to pray to a personal God. (As a former Jehovah's Witness, I believed that Jehovah was my God by my association with the 144,000 or the Remnant. He wasn't really my personal God at all. He was someone else's God that I could share by association.) I didn't know how to pray to a God who loves me personally and wishes to spend time with me. I prayed and prayed for instructions about how and what to pray and the answer came as surely as if I had heard an audible voice. He said, "Just talk to me, tell me about your day." And that's all He said and my prayer life has been incredible ever since. That's all God desires from us. He just wants us to share our lives with Him. When I am alone I usually pray out loud but if people are around I usually pray silently in my heart and I imagine you do the same. It all boils down to this: we need to share our lives with our God and we do that by talking to Him. Sharing our opinions and desires with Him. Adoring Him. Confessing our sins. Giving Him thanks. And requesting things from Him.

We can't stay in a constant formal prayer and go about living our lives. But we can stay in a casual state or attitude of prayer and still go about other things. Even in the midst of a conversation a quick "thank You," or a "heal this person, Lord," or "forgive me" can flit through our minds without us losing our train of thought. We need not think of prayer in a ritualistic manner: first I say this, then I say that, and finally I conclude with this. The best prayer are free flowing and genuinely from our hearts. We can pray all day long and never have our knees hit the floor. And this is the type of prayer that pleases the Lord. There is a time and place for every prayer, be it formal or casual. The important thing is to pray and pray at all times about all things. The Lord loves us and He so desires a close, familial relationship with us and we can't provide that to Him if we mistakenly believe we must always pray formally. Or in a particular manner. We must get into the habit of praying when and where we feel like it. Silently, or aloud, on our knees or in the bath tub. The key is to pray. That's the important thing. And we should always pray about anything and everything. Does that mean I can't pray the ACTS prayer. Of course not, but we must remember that ACTS is a simple guide to prayer and it should be used as a guide only. Don't be repetitious in prayer. Learn to just talk to God. Maybe if we thought in terms of conversing rather than praying our prayers would better reflect our hearts desires.

I have a paragraph taped to the inside cover of my Bible. I have no idea who wrote it or where I found it but it reads: "If you have a problem, don't hide it from God or from yourself. Tell Him about it. Don't put on a pious act and try to smooth it over. If you are angry with God, say so. If you are upset about something that He has done, tell Him so. If you are resentful, bring it out in the open and resolve it. If you are happy and glad, express your joy and praise to Him. That is what worship is all about ... the honest expression of your heart to God. If you can be honest before God ... even with all your moods, sins, failures, pain, and questioning ... you will find grace to meet all your needs." We would do well to remember this because our prayers accomplish much.

I'm going to let the devotional be it today as I have a lot of things planned and I need to get started on them or I'll never get them all done before time to leave for my meeting. Poor Pepper, I don't have the heart to tell him I'll be going to yet another meeting! I think I've spent less time with him this week while Michael's been gone than I ever have. But I've just had so many meetings. Next week should be back to normal.