Prayer establishes your personal, private relationship with God. It is the greatest love relationship you will ever have; it may begin here, but it will not end here. Amazingly, it is eternal. When you pray, the hidden God will be gazing on you from eternity, and seeing not only where you are, but where God wants you to be. God seeks what is best for you not only for the moment, but for eternity. Your task is to let God be God, and to seek above all to do God’s will, even if you do not understand the “whys.” Trust that God does. And that there will be an answer.
Nevertheless, you cannot help but to approach God with your own expectations and agenda, which you ask God to meet and carry out. God understands that, and will not criticize you for any heart request. Risk believing in Jesus’ words: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). Believe also that whenever you turn to God in pray, you will be heard, regardless of whether you feel that you have been, regardless of any delay in God’s response to your prayer.
There are immediate and long-term benefits of prayer. The immediate benefit comes from inviting God into your life; for as the ancient rabbis said, “God is wherever we let God in.” There is also the release of having put what is in your heart into words. And the more important the prayer, the more often your heart may bid you to pray it again, and again.
Leave a Reply