Years
ago we had an elder in our church that, whenever he began a prayer, would say,
“Let us be in an attitude of prayer.”
I
was thinking about prayer the other day and wondered what that elder was
thinking of when he said it - what would an attitude of prayer look like?
Let’s
see – maybe you would be on your knees, with your head bowed and your hands
clasped together.
Or
would you standing with your hands raised up to heaven?
Would
an attitude of prayer demand that your eyes be closed?
Or
maybe it doesn’t matter. An attitude of
prayer may only encompass what is in your heart and mind as you pray.
There isn’t a formula for prayer –
prayer is talking to our Father, the God of the universe. There’s not “one” special way to pray, but
let’s discuss some of the attitudes that
we should have as we pray.
Think
about the way a toddler acts when her daddy comes home from work. The bright smile on her face shines as she
runs to her father with arms raised to be picked up and hugged. Think of her words, “Daddy, Daddy!” and the
excitement and love they convey.
Do
we get that excited to be in the presence of our heavenly Father? Do we look forward to being with Him in
prayer? Do our faces shine as He reveals
Himself through His word and the works of His hands? I know that when I look up toward those
mountains, and the bright blue sky, I do get excited to think about the awesome
God who created it all. And when I’m
reading His word and listening to the prayers of David, and the love that was displayed
when Jesus healed the blind man and spoke to the woman at the well, I do get
excited about how real God is to me. I hope my face shines as I praise for the
King of the universe. Is my attitude one
of gratefulness and praise?
Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the
nations what he has done. Sing to him,
sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts – would that attitude be adoration and
gratefulness?
Of
course, we aren’t always able to run to our father with a bright smile and
outstretched arms. There are times when
our attitude of prayer is more sober.
There are times when we come to our Father looking for forgiveness, when
we know we have let Him down, and our sins have become a wedge between our
Father and ourselves. It’s always
important to clear the air, so to speak, to come to God in an attitude of repentance and humility, and
ask His forgiveness.
In
the Lord’s Prayer we read – Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin
against us. Would that attitude be repentance?
Or Isaiah 30:15 tells us - This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength. . . Would that attitude be humility?
There are times when in prayer we ask God what His will is in a particular situation. That’s where His word is so important. We talk to God, and He talks to us through the Bible – His word.
But,
what is our attitude as we listen to
His word? Is it one of openness and obedience, or do
we come with preconceived ideas about what we want to do, and are we just
looking for God to condone something that may not be the best for us or may
even be against his will, or do we come with the will to be obedient to what we
find in His word.
Many
times we are asking for healing or help for ourselves or our loved ones. If God didn’t care about our health or
happiness, Jesus would not have healed the sick. His ministry on earth would have been
entirely different, but He does. God
does heal. He does intervene and
help. The Bible talks a lot about
praying for people. We have an
obligation to pray for those who need God’s help.
Ephesians 6:18 tells us in part. “. . . always
keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
But
there is more to this attitude of
prayer. . . A final word would be “yielding.” God does tell us to ask. So what should be our attitude in the
asking? Jesus prayed to His father,
before He was crucified. He asked God to
take away the cup of suffering He was to endure. But He ended with “Not my will, but Thine be
done.” That should always be our
attitude in prayers of request.
In
the Lord’s prayer, we read. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven.
I
believe that some people pray with the attitude that says, “God promised that He
would answer my prayer, so He HAS to do what I ask.” That is not so. God is God.
He is in control. We are
not. He is a loving Father though, who
will grant a request that is in accordance with His will, and is best for His
children. I think of my own children and
how many times I said, “No” or “Not yet” because it was best for them. Would God do less?
In I John it says, “This is the confidence we
have in approaching God: that if we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us.” ASKING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL = YIELDING!
Yielding,
what a great attitude to have when praying to the almighty God.
So
we’ve talked about Praising in gratitude,
Repenting in humility, Asking with openness and obedience and Yielding. PRAY.
This is NOT a formula. We don’t
have to tick off the list of attitudes we must have. We just need to remember who it is we’re
talking to, and we need to remember who we are.
We’re talking to the almighty creator of the universe, but who is also
our loving, caring, Father.
And
us – well, we’re sinful, that’s for sure, but since Christ died for our sins,
we also have access to the Father. We
are His adopted children, and He listens to our prayers.
We
are all so different and at different places in our walk with Him. So, some of us really need to recognize His
power and strength as the Creator and Sustainer of the world, to see His strong
arm in events when we pray. But some of
us have a deep need to remember the tender side of God – the side that holds us
and cares deeply for each one of us.
You
are the one talking to God, be yourself, and learn to know him and lean on him.
PRAY
