With the National Day of Prayer approaching on May 4, 2006, prayer is a topic that will be talked about quite a bit in the media. Many different views of prayer will be expressed by people who, for one reason or another, reporters think have some special insight. Many times what we hear shared is more about what a person thinks prayer is or what it means to them rather than what God tells us about prayer in His Word.
In anticipation of the National Day of Prayer I wanted to share with you three specific things about what prayer is:
1) Prayer is communication with God. Notice what I said. Prayer is not simply talking to God, but it is a conversation with God where not only are we talking with Him, but He is also talking with us as well. One question I always like to ask people is, "How does God talk to us?" Most folks are puzzled at first, but then they realize that God speaks to us in His Word. We might get some indication otherwise that God might want us to say or to do something, but we can only be sure of God's will for us when it is in accordance with the Scriptures. In the Lord's Prayer, we ask in the Third Petition, "Thy will be done." The only way we can know God's will and ask that it be done is by being in His Word and learning from Him what His will is. As we know His will for us in Christ Jesus better and better, we will grow in our understanding of how He works to answer our prayers for His will to be done.
2) Prayer is an act of worship. In prayer we praise and thank God as well as go to Him for forgiveness and the needs of both body and soul. We recognize that God is a great God above all kings and that He is the only One who can receive our prayers and answer them. When we pray, we worship God by doing the very thing He tells us to do. Saint Paul tells us: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV).
3) Prayer is a confession of the faith. In our prayers, we say a quite a bit about our belief in God. In the way we address God our prayers ("Our Father who art in heaven…," "…in Jesus' name," etc.) we confess who He is and the awesome power and ability He has to make a difference in our lives. Throughout the Scriptures as we learn about prayer–to whom should we pray, what should we pray for, how we should pray, for whom should we pray–we learn about God and who He is and how we live under Him in His kingdom. Even the few words that Jesus speaks in John 16:23 helps inform our confession of the Triune God when we pray: "I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."
I hope that on the National Day of Prayer that you will take time to pray for our nation and that it will be a wonderful time for you as you communicate with God, as you worship Him, and as you confess Him in your prayers.
In Jesus, our Good Shepherd,
Pastor Keith
