And I tell you: Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. To everyone who knocks, the door is opened. Luke 11:9-10
The simplest explanation of prayer is talking with God. Too often the only time we remember to pray is when we are in trouble. The phrase “there are no atheists in fox holes” exists more as a response to our practices than to any number of conversion experiences during a war. Or our prayer life consists of treating God like a spiritual Santa Claus. We provide our wish list and get angry when we don’t get it all. Have you ever met a child who has been given EVERYTHING they ask for?
Others do nothing because they are unsure how or when or where to start. The saddest cases are those who have deliberately quit praying because “it doesn’t do any good anyway.” They believe they did ask and God failed to answer.
I want you to know that God always answers. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no and sometimes it is not yet. This can be difficult for us to accept. What we don’t understand is that God is offering in ways far greater than what we can ever imagine. We want, what we want, when we want it. Sometimes that isn’t good for us and we can’t even see why. But God can!
So how and why should we pray? Pray without ceasing. Talk to God regularly throughout your day. Start with “good morning” before your feet hit the floor. Ask God to show you, not give to you; use you, not provide for you; ask for God’s will, not yours. Thy will, not mine is a complete prayer. Ask for guidance as you go through your day. And say thank you for a day filled with the presence of the Lord before you fall asleep. Knock and the door will be opened, in ways too marvelous to believe.
Pastor Kim