Thursday, May 5, 2011

Prayer, not just a wish list anymore!

I've been working through a book called "Message of Prayer" by Timothy Chester from the Bible Speaks Today series. I have been challenged and enlighted by each chapter. Prayer is something that is assumed we know how to do. It is often described as simply talking to God. It is something we hear at meal times, in church services, at Bible study and we often muddle through on our own.

Now I'm a pastor and I have a seminary degree, that means I should have this stuff nailed, the truth is far from it. Prayer is an area that I must continually work on, develop and grow in. The truth is, as wonderful as it is to have the direct access to the throne of God that prayer provides, this side of eternity there is something lacking. Until that day there will be the barrier of my feeble humaness and my continued battle with the flesh that distracts and leads astray. Too often it is easy to slide into a pattern of simply coming to God with a laundry list of requests. To watch over our loved ones, our un-born child, our church, our school and the various people we know are going through various struggles. Bringing these things to God in prayer are important but prayer can be and is intended to be much more than *just* that.

That is one of the motivations for working through this particular book. Another motivation is an up-coming message I'm preparing on prayer. One message isn't going to cut it but I know I can never cover everything in one shot. This is something I'll circle back to again and again because it is so important. I finished the first hunderd or so pages and I'm really in awe of the depth and bredth of prayer. What I like about this book is that it is expositions on specific passages, all of them very familiar but seeing them through the lens of prayer has been a challenge and a joy. It is proving to be a blessing and something I must allow to digest.

More posts will be forthcoming...