Prayer is Not a Last Resort

How often have you said, “well there’s nothing I can do but pray?” Or “It’s out of my control.  All I can do is pray.”  Or “I don’t know what else to do but pray.”  Or some variation of those sentiments?  

We say it almost out of resignation.  There is nothing else left so I guess I’ll just pray.  We relegate prayer to the last resort or the least we can do.  On our checklist of how to fix problems – reduce stress, grieve, heal, celebrate – prayer ends up near the bottom after we’ve exhausted every other worldly solution.  We treat prayer as the last resort.

In Matthew 6:8-10, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.  Why?  Because they saw Jesus praying.  They witnessed – firsthand – Jesus praying in times of sadness, distress, joy, and decision making.  They recognized that His prayer life was connected to his power and holiness.  Jesus gave them The Lord’s Prayer.  Many of us memorized The Lord’s Prayer as a child and it is repeated in church services every Sunday.  It would take weeks of blogs and someone more qualified than I to dissect the intricacies of The Lord’s Prayer.  

I mention it because the disciples could have asked Jesus for anything.  How to heal.  How to share the gospel.   How to teach like Jesus.  But they asked how to pray.  They knew the power of prayer.  Jesus warned the disciples not to be like the hypocrites and pray in public with fancy words so that others would notice.  Instead, He tells them to speak privately to their Father.  The Aramaic word used in the first words of the Lord’s Prayer – Our Father – is “abba.”  It refers to a father-child relationship.  It is an intimate term, a term of endearment, trust, security, and love.  

Prayer is nothing more than a conversation your Father.  You don’t need to speak “Christian” or be eloquent.  You just need to be real.  Honest.  Humble. Open.  Just as a child runs to their father asking, “Daddy, can you help me?” we need to run to our Father with the same innocence and unqualified belief that our Father is listening and able.

You know, there are 650 prayers listed in the Bible.  And approximately 450 recorded answers to prayers.  Praying doesn’t mean we get what we ask for.  Sometimes we get something we didn’t expect that far exceeds our human expectations.  Sometimes we get silence as God is working on our behalf.  Sometimes, we get “no” because God has something far better planned or knows what we asked for isn’t what is best for us.  And sometimes, God answers our prayers just as we’d hope.  The one constant is your Father is always listening.

Prayer is not the last resort in any situation.  It is the first resort in ALL situations.  Phil 4:6-7 – one of my favorite verses says, “⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  The Greek for every is all, whole, absolute.  It doesn’t mean those things I can’t handle.  Or those things that I don’t want to deal with.  It means in ALL situations.  

There is nothing too big or too small for God.  He counts every hair on your head and captures all your tears.  He isn’t a God of convenience or a God of afterthought.  He isn’t a God we call on when we can’t figure it out or we’ve tried everything we can.  He is a God we call on first.  A God we ask to equip us so that we can make the difference on earth that He has designed.  A God who sacrificed his son so that the power of the Holy Spirit can live in us and work through us.  

God created us to partner with Him.  And that starts and ends with prayer.  With conversations asking for strength.  Conversations asking for discernment. Conversations celebrating blessings.  Conversations for those who are in need.  Conversations to see others as Jesus sees them.  Conversations confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness.  And conversations that go something like this, “Daddy, I am at a loss for words.  I don’t even know what to pray.  So, I’ll sit quietly and let you listen to my heart.”  Sometimes, the most powerful prayers are our silence.

I am so passionate about this topic because I have witnessed the transformative power of prayer in my life.  I talk to God and Jesus all day.  I thank them for a new day.  For protection on my drive.  For my family and friends.  I sing to them.  I thank them for a great parking space.  (seriously!).  And sometimes, at night when I pray, I find myself awake longer than expected because I am having such a great conversation with my Savior; I don’t want it to end.

My prayer life wasn’t always like that.  It took practice.  It took effort.  It took discipline.  Now it is as natural as breathing.  There is nothing I can do in my human frailty that can influence situations like prayer.  It is the key that unlocks God’s power in my life – and yours.  It is arrogant to think that you are better equipped than God to handle this life He gave you.

Talk to your daddy first.  It doesn’t have to be pretty.  Or eloquent.  Or even coherent.  Your Father hears your heart.  And He is so excited to talk to you.

I encourage you this week to talk to God just as you would a friend.  Share the little and big parts of your life with the one who created you.