I went on a three day personal retreat and one of the things I gained was a new understanding of prayer. When I think of prayer, I think of either someone kneeling at the bedside and talking to God, mostly asking for something, or a pastor using beautiful, holy language interceding for someone needy. I don't have very good discipline when it comes to designated prayer time, because my days are often full, but I do talk to God in my spirit at various times throughout my day. Sometimes when I have trouble falling sleep, I talk to God or just breathe in saying "Jesus, I want more of you" and breathe out saying, "I give you all my worries." Those prayers do count! And God hears all those! so surprising, right? The Holy Spirit uses groans to pray for us. So sometimes no words are necessary.
Well, it's kind of like when my husband was courting me, he had way more words then he does right now. We don't talk a whole lot, but we are comfortable in that silence. People who are married for a long time don't always talk a lot because there is an understanding beyond words. I think prayer is kind of like that. I felt relieved because I used to think I sinned because I don't pray enough, or I fall asleep when I pray. Or sometimes I don't know what to say when I pray because I feel like God already knows. As I walk with the Lord, I feel His presence at all times and I am content with that. It's OK to rest in His love and presence without saying much.
So why is it that some people are so effective in their prayers?
According to Neil Anderson, in order for your prayers to be answered, there are 6 prerequisites:
1) Renounce all false teachings or practices. This include worldly teachings that we may not be aware.
2) Renounce all lies. We often believe in ungodly lies such as "I have no sin", "I'm not lovable", "God isn't interested in my problems"....etc)
3) Choose to forgive. Confess any unforgiveness towards anyone. They don't deserve it, but you deserve to be free.
4) Submit to God's authority or ones He placed in authority.
5) Be humble before God. Realize that I can't do this on my own, I need God. Come with a sense of spiritual poverty , waiting to be filled. If you look in the Bible, that's usually the beginning of miracles. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
6) Confess any known sin. Sin will definitely hinder prayers. If God already told you about some sin, but you harden your heart and choose not to listen to Him, forsake it now. Nothing is worth the high price of having your prayer hindered.
7) Renounce generational sin. Some sins are passed down in the family, lets confess those too.
Those are the very basics of prayer. It is obvious if we want to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to be a clean vessel first. I don't drink from a dirty cup in the sink without first washing it.
I also learned some principles of prayers that I didn't really know before.
1) The one with the need should pray.
James 5:13 says "Is anyone suffering? Then he must pray."
James 1:5 says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God."
Believers should ask God for themselves. If say someone is asking God but God is not answering because this person has a known sin in his life, then he tries to bypass dealing with that sin by going to the leader of the church to ask for prayer. Why? There is a place for intercessory prayer of course, but I think it's important that we ask God for what we need. NO ONE has greater access to God. (pastors, elders, pope, saints....) We all have equal access to God when the veil was torn.
2) Always give thanks in prayer.
There are too many quotes in the Bible, but usually when prayer is mentioned, giving thanks is also mentioned. Prayer and thanksgiving go hand in hand. Thank God for what He is doing and what He will do.
3) Pray God's will.
Be fully surrendered. We must want God's will more than our own. Don't worry, If He wants something for you, He will give you the grace to do it. "My sheep hears my voice." Go where the Spirit leads. Pray for something that God already told you to do, but you lack the strength to do it. If He told you to keep loving that unlovable person, then ask God to help you find ways or strength to keep doing it. It's good that we are realizing we cannot do it without His help.
4) Be completely honest.
I love the honesty of Psalms or Job or the prophets. Don't worry if you are distracted during your prayer time. God sees all and He knows what you are thinking and feeling. Whatever comes into mind, talk to God about it. If you feel tempted, talk to God about it. If you are worried or angry or perplexed, talk to God about those problems or feelings. Maybe the Lord wants to talk to you about those things. There's no prayer agenda that you need to stick with.
5) Don't wait until a crisis to pray.
We pray the hardest when there is a crisis. I know I do. But why wait until then? In fact, our prayerlessness may be the cause of our crisis. My pastor used to say that 95% of the couples who are in his office for counseling struggle with their personal quiet time with God. Why do we not pray? is it because we are too busy to ask God? Is it because we think we can handle life? I'd watch out for staying in that state for a long time. Pray at all times. Keep talking to God about things, everything, everyday, every moment. Why wait until there is a huge crisis?
I just felt so much lighter after three days of personal silent retreat. I can't believe I waited so long to go on this one. I talked to God about so many of my worries and I got some new directions and confirmations. It was usually hard to peel myself away from my busyness and just go spend uninterrupted time with God, but I always love it so much and wanted to stay longer when it's time to leave. So why do we pray? The ultimate purpose is deepening our intimacy with God. I have always struggled with a healthy self image. During the retreat, I read about the blind beggar Bartimaous. I was telling a friend that if I were blind, poor, maybe stinky, everyone looks down on me, homeless, and lots of other problems..... I would remain quiet when Jesus passes by and therefore get nothing. Because I don't think I am important enough. But Bartimaous shouts because he fundamentally believes two important truths: "Jesus is able and He cares for me." He didn't think that he was worthless because he was blind, he knew he deserved healing. Like Bartimaous, after three days of talking to Him, I came back to rest in the truth that Jesus is able and He cares for me. I cast out the lie of hopelessness and embrace what God says is true about me. Jesus is able to do something about your problems, and He cares for you. Why stay quiet and miserable? Come talk with Him. ❤️
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