Prayer is a tricky thing in some sense.
It is an obligatory and necessary part of the Christian walk – as many verses encourage a habit of prayer without ceasing [1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2-4], in other words incorporating prayer as a daily rhythm and routine of life – yet if we are honest, sometimes it feels quite weird to sit on your bed and "talk to the sky."
God is not tangible. We are not able to sit across from Him and converse over a sticky cinnamon roll at the local coffee shop, the air filled with chatter and the vibrant aroma of freshly brewed coffee. He cannot stand with you in the hallway of your school, giving you clear and audible direction to your struggle.
No, prayer is an often odd and messy space, as we wrestle with our thoughts and emotions, allowing ourselves to release our communication in a jumbled rush to heaven. Then we sit, and wait - and maybe God has audibly talked to you in those moments, and if that is you I would love to hear your story - but more often than not we are left with seeming silence.
So, it’s understandable that we can often subconsciously or very consciously write off the power and importance of prayer in our lives.
Talking to a wall just can’t be that beneficial.
IVE BEEN THERE
In my recovery my faith was weak. I often felt that science or medicine would provide better answers than the seeming silence I received from God. Or at times my specific trouble seemed a bit too small to concern God with. And quite frankly, throughout my recovery oftentimes my faith was flat out WeAk.
Perhaps you too are carrying a faith that is a bit on the miniature side now – you wonder if or where prayer fits into your life or your recovery journey. If your faith is enough to make prayer worth it…
I am here to tell you, because of the object of your faith and the Spirit of God in you, even mustard seed size faith is enough, more than enough.
Let’s look first at what the Bible says about prayer then turn briefly to where it fits into our stories.
WHY DO WE PRAY?
The Bible is FILLED with verses on prayer showing us the many instances it may be used. We see prayers of thanksgiving [Psalm 69:30], confession [1 John 1:9], questions and requests [Luke 22:42], praise [Hebrews 13:15], anxieties [Philippians 4:4-7], and more. We see prayers written by David in the Psalms, Jesus in the Gospels, and Paul in many letters throughout the New Testament. Prayer is a MAJOR aspect of the Bible.
But when looking specifically at WHY we pray, I like Timothy Keller’s definition very much:
“Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through His Word and His grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with Him.”
And we see by this that prayer is a conversation – which when you think about the reality of the Christian makes so much sense as to why it is highly emphasized in Scripture.
We are in relationship with God. We are God the Father’s children, we are the Bride of Jesus Christ, and we see them as both authority and friend. And like any earthly relationship, the intimacy and depth of relationship is maintained through regular communication.
If I went days without speaking to my husband, what kind of relationship would we have?
Answer: not a very close one.
In the same way our regular communication with God in prayer is vital to our intimacy with Him, closeness to Him, ability to recognize His voice, and learn from Him.
SO, THEN, HOW DO WE PRAY?
In the Bible there are two occasions recorded where Jesus answers this very question for His disciples as they recognized He alone could teach them well how to commune with His Father.
They are found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13. While there are the slightest of variations between the passages, they follow the same general format. Before we dive in I want to reflect on the importance and attributed intentionality behind these variations –
It shows us that it was not Jesus’ purpose for us to become tied up in the very wording of the prayer He spoke, otherwise no variation would be noted. Likely this difference is to show us that we should instead focus on our heart, mindset, and type of prayer represented, rather than being hyper-focused on the words He specifically spoke.
With that being said, let’s jump into the general framework here provided:
1. “FATHER”
Type: Title
Summary: Important in showing that we should go to God in prayer as children to a
Father, for He is the Father of the saints. In this way we can go before Him with
humble boldness. “The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00am for a
glass of water is a child. We have THAT kind of access.” Timothy Keller
2. “HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME”
Type: Praise
Summary: Stating God’s character back to Him [from Scripture], ascribing honor to
His name, and identify who I am in light of His character.
3. “YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE”
Type: Surrender
Summary: Acknowledge His will to be perfect and superior to your sin specific
situations, and a desire to submit to that will; identify areas of His kingdom that you
desire to be on earth.
“ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN” refers to the desire that the principles and practices of earth may grow in likeness to the realities of heaven.
4. “GIVE US THIS DAY YOUR DAILY BREAD”
Type: Provision
Summary: We should remember truly that God is all we need, but go to God with
our requests, asking what is necessary for us to be sustained today. This daily
provision is to bring us into a habit of continual dependence on our heavenly
Father.
5. “FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE ALSO FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.”
Type: Confession and Forgiveness
Summary: Confess specific sins, request forgiveness [making sure we have
forgiven all those who have sinned against us], and restore purity of fellowship.
6. “LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL”
Type: Protection/Strength
Summary: Identify areas of weakness in spiritual life, pray for deliverance.
"Christians should not be optimists; we know too much about sin. We should also
not be pessimists, for we know the living God.” Timothy Keller
This is the message Jesus shared with His disciples, and it is one I have adopted as I have stumbled my way, like a toddler, through maturing in my prayer life. And like Jesus, I try to allow the words to flow, not getting caught up in being perfect or rambling on for show – it’s about humbly yet boldly going to my Father to talk, while also recognizing my Father is holy God and remaining reverent of Him.
WHAT ELSE DOES THE BIBLE TEACH US ABOUT PRAYER?
A LOT.
Just type into google – verses on prayer – and you will be shocked. But there are a few I wanted to pull out that I felt were important to share in our discussion today. Still, I encourage you to do some more digging on your own because there is a lot to learn. Here they are:
Matthew 6:6-7 “But when you pray, go into your room, and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the. Pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
Not that we cannot pray together – as the Bible in James 5:16 tells us specifically to pray
for one another and Matthew 18:20 says where three are gathered in my name I am
there with them – but that prayer should not be used to “show how good of a Christian
you are” or “in attempts to impress men.” For as He states in the verse before, this is
how the hypocrites [and in verse 7 pagans] pray. He is getting at our heart attitude. We
should go to God in prayer with humble boldness, to commune with Him, not with
ulterior motives at play.
James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
From this I want to pick out the idea of praying for one another. Too often are our
prayers focused on internal desires and how we can improve our lives, not thinking
about the lives of those around us or distant believers. Yet the Bible displays many
prayers of men who not only do not pray for themselves, but pray with an eternal focus,
not for temporary things on earth but for spiritual, eternal matters.
We also note by that last statement that prayer works.
Hebrews 4:14-16 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
We understand here our ability to approach the throne room with confidence. Jesus,
after HIs death, was seated at the right hand of God in heaven. This is a position of
power, and it is here He conducts His God appointed duty of intercession as out new
and better high priest. Yet, before His elevation He walked the earth as a man, tempted
as we are, face-to-face with the devil- but unlike us He never stumbled into sin. It is this
knowledge that allows us to approach the throne in confidence [in addition to our reality
as children], because the One standing before Him on our behalf understands our
struggles intimately.
Lastly, 1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him."
Not that we always get what we want, but if we pray with a heart posture of "Your will be
done," we will always receive what we ask. In God's answer to our requests, we must
remember - His ways are higher, and His thoughts are higher. "In short, God will give us
what we ask or what we would have asked if we knew everything." Timothy Keller
SO, NOW FINALLY, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MY LIFE AND RECOVERY?
Everything.
It is by prayer that we submit and surrender our life back to God - the life we have taken and willingly [though by manipulation] given into our eating disorder’s [or other idol/addiction/etc.] hands.
It is by prayer that we approach Him with our struggles as a lost child in search of comfort, peace, and answers. And it is by prayer that we learn to recognize His voice so that we might recognize His response.
It is by prayer we thank God amidst our trials...
… because He knows you and understands what you are going through.
… because He is still in control.
… because He sent His Son to die for you so that you have hope for eternity.
… because He sees you.
… because He has not forgotten you.
… because He has a plan bigger and better than you could dream.
It is by prayer that we cast our anxieties on the Lord and receive His peace that surpasses all understanding that will guard our hearts and minds.
It is by prayer that we learn to wield well the spiritual armor needed to defeat the enemy, the evil one.
It is by prayer we learn to see God as God of our lives, giving Him control and surrendering fully to His will.
It is by prayer He gives us back guidance, instruction, and knowledge.
It is prayer that deepens our relationship with God – our Creator, Sustainer, Friend, Father, King, Great Love, Counselor, Healer, and Author of our lives.
Prayer is everything.
So much of what I have shared with you over the years stems from my prayer of surrender to God which opened the door to my relationship with Him. My prayer of questions by which God taught me so kindly more of who He is, what it means to live for Him, and to see the greater picture. My prayers of simple communication, that keep my soul tied to Him and cognizant of His voice.
So, thought it seems unreal, prayer is very real, and I can see it’s handiwork all throughout my life and recovery now looking back.
MY CHALLENGE FOR YOU:
Write the template for prayer in a notebook or on a piece of paper and use it in prayer to guide you in your conversation with God. Try to set aside 5 special minutes daily to communicate with God in this way, and then be still, listen, watch, and see what happens.