Whether or not you believe in a Supreme Being or not, I’m willing to bet that you pray. It may be an artifact from your childhood or a remnant of your cultural heritage, but when the right situation arises everyone says “please.”
Please whom?
God, of course.
You see, God loves you whether or not you love Him. This is unconditional love. This is perfect love. If you are a parent, then you surely have experienced this love. God wants a relationship with you, and that relationship will grow through prayer.
Still, prayer is not something that comes easily even for believers. Scripture says we go wrong by not submitting to God: “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:2-3).
Prayer can easily become a habit where we repeat a litany of things that have become stale. Keeping God current on our needs and concerns may also seem unnecessary; after all, doesn’t God already know our needs? Of course He does. But as James wrote, we still need to ask. That’s the beginning of submission, but it’s not the end.
We must also ask with clear motives. Remember: We are motivated by want, but God knows what we need. Learning the difference between those two things can have a positive impact on our prayer lives. We should identify our selfish motives in prayer and admit them to ourselves and to God. This is submission to God’s sovereignty, and it will lead to peace.
Where should we start?
Simply ask.
Prayer is really asking, seeking, talking with God about your life. That requires submitting yourself to God. Will you yield to Him?
He loves you after all. #DFWTechPB #FaithatWork
Lee Herrin is the prayer team chair of the Dallas/Fort Worth Technology Prayer Breakfast. This year’s event will take place on Friday, Oct. 5. Please consider becoming a volunteer, a table host, or a corporate partner.