Oh, it seems so simple when you’re a child.
“Dear God, thank you for mommy, and daddy, and sister, and chocolate. Amen.”
But as you grow older, my experience has been that praying becomes exponentially more complicated and tricky. But lately my own approach to prayer has been changing. I still go to God with requests for my own life as well as on the behalf of others. But my prayer is not limited to that anymore.
Instead of just telling God, I try to spend more time in prayer where I let God tell me. Instead of going to God so he will change “stuff”, I go to God so that he can change me. It is not easy, but stilling myself before the face of the Holy One and listening has already blessed me more than my years of just coming to God with a list of requests and signing off with an “amen.”
And so sometime today I will pray. But I will not take an agenda with me into the throne room of God. I will enter the holy place empty-handed, and I will sit still and listen. And I will let God do what he does best. Change me. I will enter empty-handed but will leave with much to do. Funny how God works like that, huh?
So why do you pray? And what do you expect to happen when you do?
Where do you find the “holy place” the “throne room of God?”
By: Prism on April 16, 2008
at 6:15 am
Prism – Good question.
There are quite a few ways to enter “holy places” in this world and I think prayer is just one of those.
In prayer, I think you find it every time you are willing to encounter God and not just talk.
Among many others, it can also be found when one stills themselves before God during worship, holds the hand of a friend that has lost a loved one, or serves lunch at a homeless shelter.
It is those moments in life when our actions or words are not about us and when we slow down long and deliberately enough to allow the inbreaking of the kingdom of God.
Really, trying to find and recognize those holy places and the throne room of God in this world is the purpose of this blog.
Thanks for stopping by.
By: chrisfield on April 16, 2008
at 6:22 am
Mostly for comfort, with knowing that the Lord knows of my heart.
http://www.matthewsblog.waynesborochurchofchrist.org
By: Matthew on April 16, 2008
at 7:06 am
Chris, I love your approach to prayer — communicating with God to allowing him to change you to become more like Christ. I pray for many purposes including to express gratitude, for help, comfort, guidance, strength, and blessings. I need to better follow your point of listening instead of always just talking. Prayer is a form of work and as such should be a two-way street of communication. Thanks for the reminder on this important principle.
By: Bryan Guymon on April 16, 2008
at 9:15 pm
I found the same thing to be true this semester. I started being silent more, listening, using the Psalms, and using prayers written by others to pray for me. I still pray some for specific things, but I definitely needed a change. It’s been good. Hope it does the same for you. Welcome back to the blogging world.
By: Clint Askins on April 17, 2008
at 9:04 am
Hey Bryan – Good to hear from you. This is still a form of prayer that I am working on but one that I believe is critical to our spiritual growth. I think the two way street analogy is the best one there is for this relationship with God. How can we ever really get to know him if he never gets to talk?!?!
Clint – Right on, man. It’s good to be back.
By: chrisfield on April 17, 2008
at 10:06 am