dito

I have written about this before... actually more than once before... but it always a interesting topic to wrestle with so we are going at it again. To be honest, I need a refresher.

Prayer. It has always been a rather ambiguous concept to me. Why do we pray for things we want when God is going to do what He wants to do, what is best? I mean ultimately, that's what we want. I mean, I would rather the guy who can see the end game make the calls and not my simple mind which is stuck in the bounds of time and has no idea what the future holds, and therefore what is best... so what we end up in is this cycle of "God, make my desires like Yours"... and "Thy will be done" like prayers. Which being to get annoyingly redundant, if I am honest. If you are anything like me, it is something like "I would really like this, but do whatever you want and help me be OK with it."

So, why do we even ask for things? It isn't like he doesn't know exactly what we want. I mean, I understand the value of communication and the use of prayer as a tool of relationship building... but honestly... does saying a prayer for my sick dog count as relationship development? Not really.

Awhile back I had a conversation like this with my mentor. She said something profound that has changed my view of prayer. We ask because God loves us so much he wants to give it to us. He wants to bless us! Pastor Mark reiterated this in his sermon this week. God, by nature is a gift-giver who wants to bless us abundantly with everything we can ask or even think of. It's easy to view God more like a machine than a person with emotions. We can get caught up in the mechanical sense of prayer and miss the relational aspects. Yea, God knows what we want. He doesn't need us to tell him, but as a loving being who desires relationship with us more passionately than we can comprehend, I could see how he might appreciate an attempt to communicate that desire. I can even begin to conceive how he might desire to give it to us... so much so that he might be tempted (I mean if He could actually be tempted) to give it to us, even if it is detrimental to us in the long run. Not to sound cliche, but like a parent. Kind of like how you ask for really expensive or ridiculous presents for Christmas that they will never get you, but you put them on the list or hint at them, just in case.

So, Now I feel better about it. I feel purposeful in asking God for exactly what I want. I just couple it with a prayer for wisdom and understanding that He continues to shape my desires into something that resembles His own, and for the peace and complete contentment no matter the outcome. Ultimately, increased wisdom and maturity.

And the bonus is that once you have actually asked God for something, you will recognize his involvement when you receive it. As Pastor Mike used to say, gratitude is a HUGE aspect of spiritual maturity, and ultimately integral to a joyful existence.