Will You Accept God’s Gift of Prayer?

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I remember the first year I didn’t get toys for Christmas. I was transitioning out of childhood. I didn’t really want any toys that year, yet I felt a twinge of disappointment on Christmas morning. I loved my “big girl” gifts, but it’s hard to play with clothes and books on Christmas afternoon. So, I picked up all my gifts and put them away to be used on another day.

How often do we do that? We receive a gift and we immediately pack it away in a cabinet. Don’t you sometimes even forget you have it there? Until that day you go into that cabinet, desperately searching for something else and you find it there, in that forlorn spot you placed it so long before. Unused, collecting dust, instruction manual long since lost, maybe even seeming a little out of style.

Have you also done this with God’s gift of prayer? The gift of His time and relationship? Maybe you learned about prayer and experienced God’s presence early in your faith journey. Maybe you even explored it for a while and tried to use it regularly, but then it fell by the wayside. Packed away like so many other good and well-intentioned gifts, but it just didn’t provide the instant gratification of so many other gifts in your life. Is it still sitting in the back of a cabinet, collecting dust and seeming a bit out of style?

God lavishes His gifts upon us, but it’s up to us to accept them

A gift isn’t useful until you open it and use it. Unwrap the packaging, take it out of the box, read the instruction manual, and start using it. God’s gift of prayer is the same way. We must open the package, take it out and learn to use it, and then believe in its power as we steadfastly pursue God and grow our relationship with Him.

James explains God’s gift in this way:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:2-6)

God gives generously to all

We have a generous and loving God, who wants nothing more than for each of us to come knocking and ask for His guidance. James says if we’ll only ask, God will give us wisdom and guidance.

Prayer without belief is just hot air

You’ll get nowhere fast if you pray without believing the words you say. This may be the hardest part as you get started with prayer because it can all seem a little crazy. But, as you settle your heart into belief, that’s where prayer truly begins to work. James tells us if we doubt God’s power and don’t believe in our prayers, we’ll be like one tossed about on the sea. If you struggle to believe in the words of your prayers, then start by praying to believe. That’s okay to ask. In the words of Mark 9:24, just pray, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Prayer requires listening and vulnerability

Asking for something as bold as wisdom requires vulnerability. The request implies you’re lacking, in need, unable to do it on your own. That’s hard for most of us to admit about anything, isn’t it? So, to open yourself to God in prayer requires being vulnerable and asking for the very thing you need, for where you’re lacking and unable to do on your own. Then, to receive God’s response, we have to actually listen. We have to be quiet, stop talking, and believe God will actually respond. We have to find the special ways God communicates with us and be attentive for His reply.

Prayer gives us strength and wisdom

James tells us that without prayer (asking God) and belief in God’s limitless abilities, we’re like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. But, with prayer and belief in our prayers, we can have the kind of steadiness, strength, and wisdom that allows us to persevere through whatever trials life brings our way.

Which do you want? To have the strength to persevere through trials of many kinds and not only survive, but mature and grow through them? Or, to be so weak and flimsy you are tossed about on the waves of any challenge life throws at you?

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgement, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Guidance, Book of Common Prayer, page 832)

Resources:

If you want to learn more about God’s gift of prayer and how to use it in your daily life, “Pray Deep: Ignite Your Prayer Life in 21 Days” is a great resource. This 21 day devotional guide to prayer will lead you through nearly 20 different ways to pray and explore the very nature of prayer. Commit to exploring God’s gift of prayer for 21 days and see how God can ignite your faith, whether you’re just getting started or a veteran prayer warrior looking for a fresh spark. Check out other journals in the Pray Deep series, too!

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