Different Levels of Prayer – Part One
The Monday Morning Devo for November 24, 2014, but actually published on Tuesday the 25th.
Today we’re going to start talking about prayer.
Let me define what I mean: Prayer as “asking of something from God and Him responding and our circumstances changing.”
Prayer isn’t worship or praise even though those acts may be involved.
Prayer isn’t simply an attitude of gratitude or being thankful.
Prayer is at least a two-way conversation—it’s asking or declaring things AND there must be a response, an idea or answer that comes to mind, or a change, internally, inside of us or externally, in another or some situation.
We believe God is. That he exists and loves us and is present with us. However, many of us don’t know what to expect of him in real life. We don’t know how to “make him respond or move” on our behalf.
And this is what I want to talk about.
No, we can’t make him do anything, but he tells us to pray. We are not God. We are not in control, but we are expected to have faith that we can influence things.
If you don’t think you can affect things, according to Jesus, there’s something wrong with your heart. It’s hard and it doesn’t allow him to work with you.
So I don’t know about you, but I want to see more of God’s activity. I want to know my own rights to influence things. I want to recognize him and be confident in his ways in order to represent him and share him with others.
And so, here’s what I’m noticing in scripture: There are at least two distinct levels of prayer, two seemingly distinct approaches to drawing upon Heaven in expectation of seeing things change on earth.
The first we’ll discuss today and the second next week.
The first level is that of our basic need–our health. As Paul says to the Philippians, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory. (Phil. 4:19)
The same level is presented in the Lord’s Prayer when Jesus provides the words, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
This level is based on the supply of Heaven and the infinite love of God. There’s no work needed.
We don’t need to prime the pump; we don’t sow in order to reap. When we are desperate, when we are needy, we simply ask for help. Any language and style works.
Good heart or bad, a need is a need and God’s resources are always available.
We may have to ask and keep on asking, we may need to be persistent like the widow before the unjust judge, but there’s nothing special about this level of prayer. We don’t need permission or purity to expect God to listen to our cry for help.
Does this make sense?
Do you ever feel guilty about what you did or didn’t do?
Have you ever thought you were disqualified from getting help?
Or perhaps because of past disappointments, you no longer even try anymore?
This may seem simple to some but let me assure you it’s not. Many people never ask God for help. Many Christians don’t ask for help. It’s very easy to depend on their own knowledge, their experience, and their network of connections. They depend on their personality, looks, or hard work to open doors or get out of difficulty.
Psalm 91:15 says, “He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
Every day you can and should call on God for help. Every day you can and should pray for wisdom and direction.
Every day, if you have asked God to help, you should look for and expect his help. And then you need to acknowledge what he did. Don’t take it lightly, again giving the credit to yourself or another.
This isn’t for his benefit but for yours.
If you can cultivate the habit of asking more and glorifying God however the help comes, your expectancy and faith and hope will grow.
Levels of Prayer; Prayer:
Our Father, who art In Heaven, thank You for Your promise to provide us with daily bread, that our needs will be met, that we will not go without, that we will not be left begging for bread.
That even in the midst of what seems to be a delay, You will not leave us or forsake us but be with us, even to the end of the age.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.