Making Prayer Simple

When you go to God in prayer what is your purpose? Is it to ask Him for something? Is it for healing or deliverance? Is it for financial needs or wisdom? Isn't that what prayer is for? Well...that's what I used to think prayer was all about, but lately I've been doing a deeper study of what it really is.

Scripture says to "pray without ceasing". How can that be? We can't be on our knees, locked in a closet all the time! We have responsibilities, God! We have families to take care of. Remember, Lord, YOU gave them to me! We have work! Do You want me to stop paying my bills and just spend all my time praying to You? Of course not!

Prayer doesn't have to be the complicated thing we tend to make it. According to Andrew Wommack, Bible teacher and author of "Better Way to Pray", 95% of our prayers should just be praising God. "I love You, Lord", "You are so good", "Thank You, Lord, for the blessings that You have given to me and have planned for me". This form of prayer can be done anytime, anywhere and throughout the day. We can sing praises to Him. We can shift from wasting out time watching garbage on T.V. (sorry, but the majority of stuff on T.V. is just a big waste of time), and we can fill our living rooms and cars with sounds of edification. This is all forms of being in communion with God and it blesses Him.

When we shift our focus off of asking for things all the time and just focus on praising God, we will naturally see His blessings unfold. He already knows our needs and desires. He intends to bless us. We just have to let go of the pleading form of prayer.

Picture a child coming to a father and begging for something. Most parents know that begging is not an effective way of asking for something. As parents, we want to give to our children and we intend to, sometimes even more than our children ever expect. In fact, as a parent, we delight in giving to our children. That's how I see my Heavenly Father. He loves me so much already. I don't have to beg for something, I just have to believe He wants good things for me.

There is so much more to this topic. But my promise was to keep my posts short and simple. So here's the basic rule, taken straight from the Word of God, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 (KJV)