Prayer Request

12.03.11

Romans 15.30-33 30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen. NIV

This was Paul’s prayer request – he asked them to pray for him as he struggled for the Lord. To me prayer is one of the most mysterious things: when we pray, what does it do? Prayer is a form of communication with God. Another is praise. And because God is infinite and knows our every thought before we even think it, why even pray? Again, when we pray what does it accomplish?

Prayer builds our faith because when we pray we are, through our action, admitting that God is our Supreme Benefactor from Whom all blessings flow. When we pray, we are actively acknowledging God’s provision, His faithfulness, His indescribable power, and really, all of His attributes. Prayer is a form of communication with God that builds our faith in the One who accepts us and cares for us. Prayer gets us in the game, so to speak. As Paul asked for prayer in his ministry, the ones who prayed, actually actively took part in that ministry.

And prayer honors God because it is also one way we come to Him for all of Who He is, and all of what He does. God is honored in front of the host of heaven because they all see the honor offered by those who believe, by hearing their prayers. I think the prayers of the saints are audible in Heaven. And prayer honors God because by its very action, pray is the way we ask God for help.

Now then, I can’t say how it shows up – the help that is; all I can attest to is that it does. The circumstances of our lives give us some indicators of how prayer is answered. But again, I am quick to admit, I don’t know how prayer works, I just know that it does. If we look at the particulars of Paul’s prayer request we see that he asked to be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea. That happened. Yes, he got arrested and went through that whole ordeal, but Paul was kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and he eventually got to Rome to share the Gospel with Nero. Hmmm, go figure that one out.

Asking God for help is a very good thing. Demanding God act in a certain manner is not so smart. God loves His people on a level that defies reason, logic and our natural order, and praying to Him is just as mysterious. But something happens when we pray because in it and by it we have God’s ear and His provision. It may not show up the way we think (or want) in our puny preconceived notions, but God actively answers our prayers…faithfully.

One of the greatest things we can do is pray. One of the greatest gifts we can give is prayer. How it works and why it works is a mystery to me but that it works is something I’ve come to believe. Prayer is a holy sacrifice of our time and energy and it honors God Who answers prayer. It also helps those in need. Why pray? Because it works!