Behind the Wheel
I have heard it said, "Why pray, when God is on the Throne and His will is what is going to happen anyway?" Or "He already knows our needs and there is no reason to ask, He will just do it."
Maybe you have heard a similar question? Or have asked it yourself at some point in your life? Or even "We have done everything else we know how to do, I guess the only thing left to do now is pray."
Prayer is a relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the One who sees and knows all things. Not a means to get what we want, but like climbing up in our "Daddy's" lap, putting our hand on His, the One who has the steering wheel, the One who can see what is up ahead on life's road. We get to commune with Him in this way, because of what Jesus did for us. Coming to our Heavenly Father boldly, asking for the things that are on our hearts in His name, and partnering with Him to bring heaven to this earth.
Jesus responds to a question about prayer from His followers, I don't see this so much as a prayer to recite word for word (although some do, and thats okay), but more as a model of true prayer:
Matthew 6:7-9-“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
(It is interesting here, Jesus is saying to them that their Father already knows what you need before you ask...But He still tells them to pray. And He uses a relational name "Our Father", with a reverence "Hallowed be Your name" of who they are speaking with, knowing where their help comes from.)
Matthew 6:10-Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. (Spending time with Him in prayer, hearing His heart for the world around you.)
Matthew 6:11-13-Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
(Recognizing Him to be our only SOURCE in all things.)
Does this mean that's it, all things we pray for will happen the way we think it should?" No, not at all. He is not a "genie in a bottle" (haha). There are even things He will give us to do during our prayer times. Think of it as two feet. We need both to walk in a balanced way. Same with prayer, it is a part of our walk with God, one foot, we put our trust in the One who works all things out for our good and the other we walk out the things He gives us to do. Connecting Heaven to this earth.
For example: You are made aware of a family in need of food. You hear the dad just got laid off from his job, and now they are struggling to make ends meet. You pray and ask God to meet their needs, during prayer you remember you just received a grocery gift card as an added Christmas bonus and feel led to give it to them. God is answering this prayer through YOU.
🙏 I remember when I first started learning about the power of prayer. I asked God to bring people along the road in my life who needed hope. Typically, I would take these requests home to pray, but then He started asking me to pray for them right then and there. As I stepped out in faith, trusting God would give me the words they needed, I begin to see the power of prayer in a very tangible way. Some were healed immediately, some felt the Presence of the Lord in a way they never had before and wanted to know more about Him. Some felt seen, and that God has not forgotten them. It changed my life too!
Don't get me wrong, in no way am I saying prayers in solitude are not important or as powerful, I am just saying it is an honor to get to see what God is doing on another's behalf through the power of prayer!
❤️ So here is my challenge to you today, bring your prayer life to your Heavenly Father, "climb up in His lap", ask Him if you need to change some things up, see prayer in a different light, or if you need to step out in faith in some areas. When you do, you will find as I have, prayer is one of the most precious gifts we have when our "Daddy" God is "Behind the Wheel"!
