Our Attitude in Prayer
With Jesus as our example for prayer, we can find a clear explanation of his attitude in prayer in Hebrews 5:7. Variously translated as “deep reverence,” “godly fear,” and “trusting obedience,” I think the translation that best captures the attitude we should strive for is “reverent submission.” In fact, we’re told that is why he was heard by the Father. Too often in my own prayer life, I may be able to muster up “reverence,” but the “submission” part is still a struggle. I’m going to Him for what I want, not to find out what He wants. There’s nothing wrong with going to God with a desire. Jesus did it. But when he did, it was always with the understanding–and attitude–that God’s desire took precedence. We should do the same. Our ultimate goal is to have all our preferences and desires aligned with God’s.
–Joe Vigliano
March 15th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I’m reading Philip Yancy’s book on prayer and he says that Jesus rarely requested anything for himself. I don’t know the Bible as well as Philip Yancy, but given his comment, it makes me think that we ought to be requesting “things”, but perhaps for others, unless, of course, we’re requesting help with spiritual maturity, deeper faith and the like.
March 15th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
We should pray for ourselves as we pray for others. I don’t believe God loves us less as individuals than he loves others. We are his creations and beings too. We should of course pray for God’s will as paramount.
March 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I think that we culturally are so blinded by self interest that we become jaded in asking for ourselves. At the core of this for me in the past is a subtle distrust of God’s heart for me… that He has generous gifts that He’ll pour out on me. As I become less culturally indoctrinated and become transformed as an image bearer, I am WAY less convinced that thyese gifts are suitcases of cash.
If God wished to accomplish anything through me that REQUIRES a suitcase full of cash, it will show up right when it’s needed, but on average the “gifts” will look more like 1 Corintians 13 than buckets of cash.
I have experienced miracles through prayer; a rudimentary education in statistics and probability leaves me SURE that the sequences of events that follow prayer are not happenstance, and that God has chosen for His purposes to have me ask through prayer. I think that at least ONE of the myraid of reasons that God chose prayer is that it provides a “stick in the sand” of having asked, that provides US a reference point to know that He ansered. Sometimes in my life the answer is separated from the request by decades, but sometimes it’s real time, and seconds.
God’s allowing us to intercede for others is one of those wild love things He has for us, an aspect of following Christ that will tend to bind our relationships in healthy ways with prayer at the core.
-vern-
March 30th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Prayer is our link to God. It is a cry for help, It is our conversation with the Father. Our prayer must be said with humility.
A very effective Christian prayer must be Trinitarian, that is, prayer to the Father, through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our prayer does not need to be long or eloquent, though there are people gifted with beautiful words when they pray. God sees our hearts when we pray. It must include adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication. ACTS is the acronym.
Our five fingers are reminders of whom we must pray for: the small finger is for the poorest among poor, the ring finger is for our loved ones, the mid finger is for the church and leaders, the point finger is for the undesirables and the enemies and the thumb is for ourselves. We are always last to show our love and concern for others.
Prayer is crucial to our Christian walk and spiritual growth. We must pray without ceasing.
April 9th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Hi, y’all.
This is good reading.
I think I’ll be quiet for a while and just take it all in.
(Vern, thanks for letting me know of this place.)
~jo
January 9th, 2008 at 11:10 am
One thing I’ve noticed personally about our attitude as it relates to intercessory prayer is this: I will always pray for someone when asked or if a situation is brought to my attention that leads me to pray about it. But there are times when the Holy Spirit is really involved. The leading to prayer is intense as are the prayers themselves. And the effectiveness seems to be magnified as well. These prayers must be in accordance with God’s will, because they are answered each and every time.