Essentials of Prayer

Recently, in my current season of difficulties, prayer has been a major focus of time and attention. Also, I know of several short term mission teams this month and prayer is an essential part to mission work. I have prayed more these few weeks than I have the previous months of this year. When things appear fine, than our prayers not as urgent, but when life becomes difficult, urgency and passion become part of our prayers. The author opens with this quote:
"One of the greatest privileges we have is prayer. When the disciples saw" Jesus at prayer, they said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray." You and I were taught prayers when we were children, and now we need to be taught how to pray. Prayer is much more than words from the lips; prayer is the expression of the desires of the heart. John Bunyan said, "When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart." (p. 85).
I love this quote. Desire, heart, and longings must be a part of prayer. This is true intimate communication with our Creator. I suppose I never really came to experience urgency until I faced over fourteen weeks of joblessness, pain and discomfort in my knees, as well as persistent depression that has gone with everything else. Yes, prayer must include our heart's cries to God. The author focuses this chapter one one Bible verse concerning prayer.

John 15:7: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
There are three elements of prayer. The first is abiding.
"At least a dozen times in John 15, Jesus uses this word abide. His illustration is that of a vine and its branches. The branches are united to the vine and draw upon its life and strength. All the branch has to do is abide, stay in contact with the vine, and it will bear fruit. You and I as Christians are united by Christ to the faith. But along with this union there must be communion; we must fellowship with Christ and draw upon His life and power. To abide in Christ simply means to keep in fellowship with Him; and this we do through the Word of God, worship, and obedience. If we disobey Him, we break the fellowship, and we cannot pray. But if we obey Him and allow His Word to control our lives, then we can pray and God will answer.
This abiding has two sides to it: we abide in Christ and His Word abides in us. If you and I spend time every day in the Word of God, then we can talk to God about our needs and ask Him for His help. When I open my Bible, God talks to me. When I pray, I talk to God." (p. 86).
Fellowship is a key part of prayer. It is not a one way relationship but one that involves communication both ways. It is fellowship between friends. I keep on remembering my most treasured times and moments when I felt happy these few weeks because discouragement has been constant. I was quite happy when I had lunch with a friend. We spent three hours at a local cafe and had close communication. That is a picture of fellowship, genunine and caring communication. Prayer must not merely be about our requests. That would be such a terrible relationship with someone when all they every talked about was what they wanted. True fellowship involves an intimate knowing. The author touches on the different types of communication with God in the next section. The second key part of prayer is asking.
"Prayer is much more than asking; it also involves praising God, giving thanks, worshiping Him, and surrendering to Him. But asking is an important part of praying. Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you." And James wrote, "Ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2).
What right do we have to ask Almighty God for anything? Isn't it a bit presumptuous for a weak human being to ask the God of the universe for something? There are two answers to that question. To begin with, we are not just "weak human beings"; we are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus once said, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
So it is with God. He hears the voices of nature, according to the psalmist--the beasts and birds when they cry out for food. And God hears the voices of the nations in rebellion. But above all the strife of voices in this world, God hears the cries of His own children. We have a right to ask God for what we need because we are His children through faith in Jesus Christ.
But there is a second reason why we have the right to pray: God has invited us to pray. In fact, He has commanded us. He knows that we cannot succeed in life unless we pray, so He has encouraged us to pray." (p. 87)
What an amazing honor to be called children of God. God's ears are attentive to the prayers of His children. I am not a parent, but my mom takes care of a child of a family friend. The parent and child relationship has always interested me. The child my mom takes care of is about 16 months. He cries when he is hungry, tired, needs to be changed, and he smiles and is interested in the most simple things. I am not his father, but I understand a little of what it is like to be attentive to a child's needs and communication. That is how it is with God. He loves us and desires relationship with us. Last Tuesday I had a God moment. It is one of those moments I cling on to in remembering how good God is. We were in Roseville to get a car fixed. We dropped off the car and I really needed to go urinate. We found a Toco Bel and one other restaurant. My dad asked me to choose and I chose the Toco Bel. Well, remember my joint situation and how I can't walk far. Well, once my dad opened the door, we found the men's room was about five feet from the front entrance. When I got in, I praised the Lord. I never thought I would praise the Lord for leading me to a men's room. As a matter of fact, this was the nearest men's room I have ever found in my 31 years of life. God knew the details of my problem and He provided powerfully. I felt really cared for by God in that moment.
The third and last key part to prayer is answering.

"So it is with God: as we ask Him for what He has promised to give us, He answers our prayers and meets the need. This is why the Bible is so important in praying--it tells us what God wants to give us. The Bible is our spiritual bankbook, and our prayers are the checks we write, drawing upon God's infinite resources.
Perhaps the most difficult problem in praying is the problem of delay. We tell God our needs, we trust Him to work, and yet nothing seems to be happening. God knows how" and when to answer prayer. God's clock never needs winding or resetting--He always knows what time it is. It has well been said, "God's delays are not God's denials." God's ways are not our ways, and He knows what is best.
As you determine to pray start with the abiding and allow the Word of God to get into your heart and purify you. Then do the asking--tell God what is on your heart. Leave the matter with Him and He will take care of the answering in His good time." (p. 86).
Prayer:
Father, what an amazing promise and Scripture. We are to abide. We are to ask. In Your perfect timing You answer. Yet, many of us including myself struggle with Your timing. I have prayed more for my impossible situations these many weeks than I have every prayed.At times, I lose heart and hope. I feel at times abandoned and forgotten. Then, there are times like last Tuesday when you provide in such an amazing way that I sense how You know the details and needs of my life. You provide just enough so that we do not give up and know You are near. My faith at times is so weak. My unbelief at times is so high. I ask Father for a greater awareness of Your nearness and love.