Sunday: Prayer that is Pleasing to God
Even though clothed in a pious cloak, many prayers are guided by questionable motives. We might pray that someone’s life be spared because we do not like living alone. We might pray for success in God’s work because we are playing an important role in it. We might pray for the conversion of a person because then our life will be easier.
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Often our prayers center more on what we want rather than on what God wants. Prayer that is pleasing to God has a different focus.
Read John 15:7. Why is it important for our prayers that we abide in Jesus and His Words abide in us? What different focus will our prayers have if we don’t abide in Jesus?
To seek God first and to enjoy His companionship is more important than anything else He might give to us. If God comes first in our lives, we will want to do what He wants; His thoughts will shape our desires. Once God is the center of prayer, we will begin to pray from His perspective. We will start to see our whole life through His eyes. This perspective ennobles prayer.
God is deeply interested in us. He longs to be part of all aspects of our life: our worries, our fears, our wishes, our hopes, our desires, our success, our joys, our failures-everything. We can talk about these things with Him as with a good friend. And we look at all of it through His eyes.
Prayer does not change God; it changes us, because we are brought into the life-changing presence of God.
“Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.” – Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 93.
What a powerful quote! It captures so much of the reality of what prayer does to us and for us. Prayer alone makes us open receptacles for the grace, the power, and the presence of God in our lives. Who hasn’t at some point experienced the reality of how prayer can draw us closer to God?
| Think about your prayer life: that is, what you pray for, when you pray, why you pray, and so forth. What does it tell you about your own spiritual state and your own relationship to God? What changes might you need to make? |
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If our prayers are allowed to be motivated by the Holy Spirit they will not be selfishly motivated prayers. They will be motivated by Love only.
Talking to God as a friend does not have to be selfishly motivated. It can be Love motivated. It is our choice if God's Spirit is allowed to be the motivator of our minds. When we have made this choice, God will give us everything we ask for because we will be praying truly in the name (character) of God.
When my father was alive I had a prayer book. After he died I stopped writing in it. Maybe Its about time I started a new one. It just helped me focus on people's needs as well as my own. Also to praise God for what he's done on our behalf. It was really nice. I was recently really touched when a lady who is terminally ill with grade 3 cancer came to my church for prayers. At the end of the church service a group of us get together to pray over any issues or friends request . I feels so humbled honoered and privileged to be apart of that group.
Individually do not forget to pray for the group so that it remains intact and each member faithful.
The greatest benefits of prayers are subjective rather than objective.We becomes better every time we spend with Jesus through His appointed means-bible study and prayers.
That Steps to Christ quote hit the nail on the head for me.
God understands our hearts and where we're coming from and He sees our prayers for what they are. I think of course our prayers often are about what we want/need because our brains are the only material we have to work with. God understands that, too. We cannot ignore the fact that we are individuals. In my silent prayers I pour it all out to God. He can take it.
As for praying for others, that is why I often attend prayer meeting, to listen to what is on other people's hearts and pray for that.
Prayer may represent the heart of our communion with God, through the contact with Jesus! We certainly need to focus more on this action. If we can be transformed by our praying habit, may we develop this in all situations. How can we turn prayer a habit?
JC. Good question. I often didn't have the habit of prayer largely *because* I was afraid I wasn't "praying the right way". I often got the impression that God would not really listen, and my outpouring to God was of litte effect, when my prayers *were* selfishly motivated.
We need to let go of those inhibitions. Even if our prayers are selfishly motivated. God understands us and can transform our hearts and way of thinking. With God we have the freedom to cast all our cares on Him. He knows us. He takes care of the rest.
Day in day out l face many challenges, and when l always pray actually I ask Him (GOD) question why this to me, why me, why not me I'm in right track???
Talking to God is better than not talking to God. So you are starting on the right track. 🙂
However, God wants a two-way conversation with us. He doesn't want us just to talk *at* Him. That means we need to make time to listen to Him, and one of the best ways to listen to Him is to read the Bible as God's word to us right here and now. We should always pray before reading the Bible and ask God to speak to us, and He will. For this kind of listening experience, I suggest reading longer portions of Scripture, meditating on them while asking God to speak. You will learn to hear His voice, and I'm guessing you'll not ask "Why me?" so much.
When I think about my prayers it's comforting to know that I can be open and free with God about all of my concerns, thanks, praise, hopes, plans, tears, relationships or the lack of, my faults, failures and a host of other things that come to me.
Like with other points of faith, we as humans often try to control and place rules and regulations on prayers making petitions to God almost like business propositions. One problem with that is that God can't be manipulated by acts of piety, false expressions of love or wordiness.
I'm thankful that we have a Father in Heaven, who knows us through and through. He hears and responds according to His wisdom, ability and great love for us.
After i read this passage i realize there are alot of things that i need re consider regarding how i pray. I pray for others needs and for my needs nevertheless have ever prayed for Jesus will in my life.
Comunication is the greatest means of melting away confusion, aprehention, fear and misconceptions. If you do not engage yourself in it you will automatically react like Adam, hiding behind a tree. Pouring out your heart to God and he answering back, thru providence and or the word is the greatest system of e-mail ever devised. The term e-mail, refers to electric mail. Electric because it is alive, so it is with God. Prayer is real and alive. It is not a shot in the dark.
''as to a friend'' meant a lot to me, l just cant go a day without updating them. All my achievements, fears and sicknesses l just tell them not because they are medical experts or anything but it feels better when l do. Now if God is my friend and prayer is our conversation how sweet be the hours of prayer, how long and enjoyable will be those moments behind closed doors. Paul says pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17, how can that be, it actually means if you are connected to God through his Spirit, when you are happy or sad the Spirit will translate your worries in words which cannot be uttered. If our minds were filled with the holiness of God surely prayer will be sacred moments of joy.
it means l should be worried about how close am l as a friend to God.
Every day we all face various challenges. So it can become easy to get in a habit of praying only for ourselves and our loved ones(wich is perfectly fine). But forgetting to pray for others who are in great need and face many of the same challenges that we do.
Sometimes people are carried away by making "worldwide" prayers especially prayer groups who have an endless list of prayer request.
I like to know what does the Bible says about "very long" public prayers conducted by prayer groups and church leaders?
Hi Kelvin,
I think we should refrain from making "rules" for how to pray "correctly". Our Father in heaven loves to hear from us and misses us when we're too busy, distracted or self-centered to spend time with Him.
God is more concerned with the genuineness of our hearts when we reach out to Him than He is with the length or poetic beauty of the words we use. Indeed, words aren't even necessary.
As we look to Him in faith, God hears our tears... our love... our sadness... our hope... our longings... our gratitude... our desires... as prayers.
Kelvin, the Bible does not encourage long public prayers. "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Matthew 6:7 Ellen White says, "The prayers offered in public should be short and to the point. God does not require us to make the season of worship tedious by lengthy petitions. . . .A few minutes is long enough for any ordinary public petition."--Gospel Workers, p. 175.
I have also heard and believe that those who pray long public prayers are not praying in private. Private prayers should be long. Public prayers should be short.
I really appreciate your comments but a times i feel like i don't know how to pray, can someone kindly guide me! Kindly teache me how to pray.
I will appreciate,
Thanks
As the lesson says, prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend.
Do you know how to talk to your closest friend? If you do, then you know how to pray!
I would really like to encourage you to read the whole chapter, "Chapter 11—The Privilege of Prayer" in Steps to Christ. (Click on the link.) I have read it many times, and I am blessed each time I re-read it.
Hello, pardon my English...i'm french speaker
I think that to read the Bible as much as you can will help you to learn the concret good prayer. All the words that we should to know in the pray are in the Bible...Jesus prayed inspired by the Holy Spirit, so let the Bible teaches you with the reel God's Word to lead you. God Bless you. Ari Neves from Belgium