From The Editor: The Progress and Process of Prayer

Prayer is an integral part of our Christian walk. Throughout different seasons of our lives, we may find ourselves approaching conversations with God in a myriad of ways.

When we’re first introduced to God, we may be hesitant in our dialogue. Perhaps we did something we regret, but we reluctantly give it over to Him. Or maybe we’re ecstatic and overwhelmed to find that the veil is torn and that we now get to speak to the Creator of the universe Himself. On one side of the pendulum, this can cause us to come near Him with awe and trembling, or to swing wildly in the other direction, expelling a deluge of everything that has pent up in our lives up to this pivotal moment of salvation.

These are just two examples of how we, as humans, approach holy communication with our Heavenly Father. The things we pray about and our types of conversations can change as our relationship with God matures.

In the early days we do what comes naturally between a child and their father — we ask for things. “Lord, give me strength. Please heal me. Help me remember everything I’ve studied over the past few months.” If we’re not careful, we can fall into the trap of treating God like a vending machine, pushing for what we want and just walking away afterward.

We can also slip into transactional conversations. “If you do this for me, I’ll read my Bible more. Heal my friend, and I promise to go to church more often.” These types of conversations can easily become unhealthy. We can’t manipulate God into doing what we want, and if we don’t get the answer we expect we can quickly become petulant children, stamping our feet and whining about how badly we’ve been wronged.

God desires communication with us, so He doesn’t mind that we sometimes act like snotty brats in our dialogue with Him. We see a multitude of examples of His long-suffering when it comes to speaking with His creation in scripture. Jonah threw a tantrum when God’s answer was mercy instead of vengeance on the people of Ninevah (Jonah chapters 3 and 4). Elijah got so fed up with his circumstances, hiding from ruthless royalty in the desert, that he asked God to let him die (1 Kings 19). And even David, the man after God’s own heart, complains about suffering and feeling abandoned (Psalm 13 and 22). God is used to us making a fuss during our prayers; humans have been doing it since the beginning of history.

But just as your conversations with your best friend shouldn’t be you just venting all the time, our talks with God shouldn’t always be this way. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 the exact way in which our prayers should flow. We should focus in on God, avoiding distractions (v 6). We should keep our hearts honest (v 7-8). We should praise His name and what He has done in our lives (v 9-10). We should ask for our needs to be met (v 11). We should ask for forgiveness for our sins (v 12). And we should ask for guidance (v 13).

Healthy prayer should be a real conversation. We should talk with God, listening for responses. We should bring Him praise as well as our concerns. We should simply spend time in the presence of the One who loves us more than we can imagine. That’s how you grow a relationship, and that’s how you, yourself, grow into who God has made you to be.