“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1
I think every praying person has experienced a night of intercession futility; the discouragement of spewing forth your heart to a blank ceiling; a night of pleading to your God under a canopy of stars that speaks only to your smallness. Those nights can cause us to question the value of prayer. Why pray to a God who knows everything about me? Isn’t that just telling Him what He already knows? What is the point of prayer?
We need to consider what came first – the feeling of ineffective prayers or the discouragement. For me, my struggles with prayer have come when I was already low. My discouragement proceeded the nights where it seemed as if I was merely talking to myself.
I think that we often overlook this aspect of prayer. This verse tells us that we ought to always pray and not lose heart. There is a link between the two. It is a link between our praying and our confidence.
I am most encouraged when I see my God at work. I am most encouraged when I see God working in a very personal way in my life but how do I know when it is God working or just the random chaos of the universe. Consider what prayer is. Prayer is my communicating with God (my praise, concerns, hopes, fears, plans) and God responding in accordance to His will. When I see him respond to something that I have specifically asked for, then I know it is Him and I am encouraged; I am protected from losing heart because my God is very real to me.
Now, what if I had not prayed? It is entirely possible that God would do exactly the same thing but there will be missing aspect – my encouragement. I will be the one missing out.
As a parent, it is important for me to tell my kids why they are being rewarded or why they are being disciplined. It creates a cause-effect relationship for them that I hope will result in encouraging or discouraging a specific behavior. Prayer creates a cause-effect opportunity for God to teach us. When we see God answer a very specific request that we have laid before Him then we are encourage and respond with praise. We give him the glory that he is due. We fulfill our purpose. That is good for us – that teaches us.
Jesus told us that “we have not because we ask not”. God is not a begrudging Father that is selfishly not giving us good things because we didn’t say please. Have you considered that God is not giving you something because He wants the best for you? The best for you is that you are encouraged in your faith and you respond in praise to him. That is the best for you!
We will maximize the opportunity for God to respond to us when we are in constant prayer. There will be more cause-effect opportunities for us to behold, the more we pray. We will be more encouraged, the more we praise. We will have more to glorify God for, the more we pray.
Pray – it is good for you.
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for being a God that listens and responds. Thank you for knowing and providing the things I need that I don’t even have a clue to ask for. Forgive me for neglecting the incredible blessing and priveledge of coming to you in prayer. I feel so foolish to have not valued that gift I should. Lord – make me into a man of prayer; I want to see you more, please bless my time of prayer with you to fulfill that. Amen
A DEVOTED LIFE 