Hey Tribe!
So, you are stranded on a deserted island and you can only bring 3 things with you. What would those 3 things be?
Its funny, when you have to focus on just a few things, you boil everything down to the basics don’t you? What do I really need? How could I survive or at least, how would I be most entertained for a few minutes till the power went out on m MP3 player! We are beginning a series at Vibe entitled, “Stranded” where we will talk about, what things are absolutely necessary for me to survive in my life with God?
Last night we started by talking about prayer and how it is essential in our existence as Christ followers. We took a look at Mark 11:22-24 and tried to figure out what Jesus was trying say about this important topic. When you take a quick look at this passage it seems to be saying that if we pray to God He will give you exactly what you ask for. But after studying it and comparing it to other passages (like James 5:15; Matthew 6:6-15) it was evident that faith is an important element in the process of prayer. It isn't just a matter of having "enough" faith because there have been plenty of times in my own life where I prayed for something that was good but God didn't answer quite the way I expected.
But prayer isn't like treating God like some kind of cosmic vending machine. We put money in vending machines and expect to get exactly what we order. In prayer sometimes we expect God to give us exactly what we pray for because we have put in Bible study, church attendance and good behavior.
Prayer is more about us aligning our wills to God's will. That is where faith comes into the picture. Faith has many elements to it but in a basic sense it is trust. It is trusting that God is who He has said that He is and that He is capable of doing anything. Since God doesn't conform to our standards but His own, it means that there are times when He will not answer our prayers exactly as we had imagined. Once we begin to surrender our hearts to God He will begin to transform it so that we begin to desire the things that He desires. Once that happens we will start praying for the things that are near to His heart.
Here are some ways that we can begin to pray the way that Jesus prayed in Matthew 6 and by doing so, begin to be transformed into the likeness of Christ:
1) BE THE CHANGE YOU PRAY FOR – A mentor of mine used to day, “Don’t lean on a shovel and pray for a hole.” You’re like, what the stink does that mean?! I know that’s weird but what is means is, don’t pray for something and just sit there waiting for things to happen. Be the change you are praying for. You can be an answered prayer for someone else.
2) TRUST GOD RUTHLESSLY – God is in the business of changing you to look more like Christ. Prayer is a part of that. It strengthens your relationship with God. In some of my darkest moments, prayer has calmed my soul because I have known that God is there. I have spoken to Him and known that He has heard me.
It goes something like this: the more you pray, the more you trust – the more you trust the more you will get out of your comfort – the more you try the more you will have to trust and it starts the whole process over again. Then you will have the opportunity to see God work.
3) MAKE A PLAN TO PRAY AND BE EFFECTIVE
A few months ago I was discouraged by my prayer life. Then I realized, my prayer life is pretty random! So I busted out a sheet of paper and wrote down the days of the week. By each day I wrote down a focus for my prayer for that day. It helped a lot! My prayer ended up being more God focused than me focused. Aside from having a plan it would help to write down your prayers so that when God answers them, you can thank Him for the great things He has done. Take a look at Matthew 6 and take some tips from God like: Put God's will before your own, praise Him for His awesomeness, confess your sins and ask for God's help. It will transform you when you do.
Remember - Prayer is about God's desire not your own.
Have a great week and weekend!
Matt
