The practice of prayer has been
with man from the beginning. Choosing Judaism as a starting point, man and God
have always been interacting, sometimes through divine revelation, sometimes by
angelic visitation and ultimately, in the incarnation. Since the resurrection
and ascension, Jesus Christ gave the church the Holy Spirit for wisdom and
guidance.
But what does all of this have to
do with prayer? Since the Protestant reformation and its strong emphasis on
private interpretation and individualism, a wide variety of ideas have been
promoted and have introduced a great deal of confusion about the relationship
between God and man. There is no debate on whether or not man should pray, but
what does it mean to pray?
First, God is not a cosmic Santa
Claus from whom we request and receive whatever we want. Second, God is not a
stingy, cold judge punishing men for their sins and torturing them for eternity
after their physical death. Third, God is a God of love and directs all of
creation toward holiness and restoration.
The whole point of creation and the
incarnation was for God and man to be in a lovingly reciprocal relationship.
God has always been perfect and never in need of anything. Prior to creation,
the Trinity existed in perfect love and relationship. God created men to expand
on that manifestation of love by giving men freewill and the opportunity to
freely love God in return.
When men pray, it is a response to
the love of God, it is a normal response to someone who loves you and it is an
opportunity to live a truly human life that is more than just the comforts of
the here and now. Prayer is a way to reach out to God and communicate our
thankfulness for the work of restoration that he has done in Jesus Christ. It
is an opportunity to request help in our struggles against sin and it is a
conversation with our creator.
Prayer is not an avenue for getting
stuff. We are far too foolish to be even remotely close to knowing what is best
for us.
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