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By David Edmonston
Guest Columnist

Prayer. What thoughts and feelings does that word bring up for you? Excitement? Motivation? Frustration? Boredom? If you ask enough people, you will probably get all those answers and more. A fair number of Christians are not satisfied with their prayer life. Some find prayer frustrating because they don’t see results from it or don’t think they get any benefit from it. Or, they have a difficult time staying focused while they pray. 

And let’s face it, in our busy lives it can be hard finding quiet, uninterrupted time for prayer. I think one other important reason some people struggle with prayer is because they treat God like a cosmic vending machine. They have reduced their prayer life to always asking God for things, and often most of their requests are for things that are temporal or are of worldly concerns. It’s good to pray for those things because God certainly cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). But prayer should encompass more than that. And prayer is vitally important for a healthy, growing relationship with the Lord.

The Christian life involves our relationship with God and others. This is a simplification, but in terms of our “vertical relationship” with God, the two primary means of knowing Him, spiritual growth, and staying close to Him, are through His word and prayer. Of course, the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit makes all the difference. But, there can be no doubt as to the importance of prayer. By way of introduction of Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow, Luke 18:1 says, “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” Jesus expected prayer to be a regular part of His followers’ lives. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matt. 6:7, “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” And, when He taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, He said in Luke 11:2, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.” Note that both times He said, “when” you pray, not “if “. The gospels recorded many instances of Jesus praying, and if He needed to pray, we certainly do too!

If you are one who is dissatisfied with your prayer life, don’t give up! I would encourage us to make worship, praise, thanksgiving, and self-disclosure a primary subject of our prayers. That’s relationship in prayer. Notice above that the first line of the Lord’s prayer is a statement of worship! That’s no accident! As for self-disclosure, God already knows you better than you know yourself. When we get brutally honest with God about ourselves, the good, the bad, and the ugly, that is real relationship. He desires that from us! James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” What more motivation do we need!?

DAVID EDMONSTON is the pastor of Trinity Church in Prospect. He can be reached at davidetrinitychurch@gmail.com.