Prayer

"I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time--waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God--it changes me." ~C.S. Lewis

Prayer is a powerful thing. It shouldn't have a beginning, or an end. We should always be conversing with our Father. We should always be seeking guidance, offering thanks and praise, and asking for forgiveness. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. More instruction to pray in every circumstance is found in James 5:13-18. And why wouldn't we want to be in constant contact with our Creator, engaging in a never-ceasing conversation with the One who truly loves us more than we could possibly imagine?


What is the purpose of prayer? To get what we want? No. Prayer is an intimate connection with God. With whom are we able to maintain an intimate relationship without talking? Do we have any relationships in which all we do is ask and receive? In which we never give thanks and serve? Why do we feel that it is acceptable to use God only as a crutch, as our life raft? He is so much more. Prayer changes us. God uses our prayers to comfort and heal, to grow and encourage. Without prayer, our God is distant and cold, but with it, He is present and loving. God uses prayer to transform us to be more like Christ.


Thankfully, we aren't left to figure out prayer on our own. Jesus teaches how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. We've turned verses 9-13 into the Lord's Prayer, something that we often recite mindlessly. I am frequently guilty of this. It's a tragedy. Mindless prayer isn't any better than no prayer. Jesus said, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." Pray from your heart. Your brain will only get in the way. Be honest with God--He already knows our wants and needs. He's not going to be fooled by our acting.

God makes us a promise. And it's an important one. Important enough that it gets repeated several times. When we ask for something according to God's will and believe He will provide, we will receive that for which we have asked. 1 John 5:14 Mark 11:22-26 James 1:5-8 Notice, in the Lord's Prayer, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We must believe, and not ask halfheartedly. God asks for our entire selves.

Sometimes it's difficult when it seems like God doesn't answer our prayers. On the night Jesus was betrayed, he pleaded with His Father three times to take His cup from Him, to be delivered from His certain death. But notice that each time, He prayed that His Father's will be done rather than His own. Paul was tormented, and three times asked for a thorn to be removed, but it was God's will to keep it there, as God said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore Paul boasted and rejoiced in his weakness, for through it, God's perfect power was revealed.

I want to continue to encourage everyone and to be encouraged to pray. Our relationship with God is never so good that we can go a day without speaking to Him. Every day we screw up, and must come back to Him to repent and receive forgiveness. Every day we should praise Him and give thanks. Every day we should ask for guidance. Every day we should pray.


One last thing: I highly recommend watching this video. Yeah, it's corny. But it's real. It's powerful.

Love

Love's a pretty huge deal, isn't it? Unfortunately, our society has severely limited love. We limit it by allowing it only to relate to romantic relationships. We cheapen it by saying we "love" this food or that toy or that song you heard on the radio the other day that you hadn't heard in years. If only all the meanings for love hadn't been lost in translation. How can such a huge concept be contained in just one word? Chalk it up to another inadequacy of English. The Ancient Greek distinguishes four different meanings for love: agape, eros, philia, and storge.

Agape--This is the greatest of all loves. Agape expresses true and unconditional love. It is the perfect love that God has for us and that we try to reflect here on Earth. After all, God is love. 1 John 4:8 This is the love that causes you to sacrifice for others. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 It is the law, the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39 This is my command: Love each other. John 15:17 Pretty simple. But not easy.

Eros--This is a more romantic love, embodying passion, sensuousness, and desire. This is that spark you feel when you're with the one you love intimately. It is often revealed in dating relationships and marriage--a wonderful feeling to hold onto. Let's head to Song of Songs. There is certainly plenty of eros talk there. And without wasting any time: Song of Songs 1:2-4 Song of Songs 1: 15-16 Trust me, there's plenty more. And I'm guessing this love was conveyed in more ways than writing.

Philia--This is brotherly love. Philadelphia: "city of brotherly love." It's the way we love our friends and family. We want to spend time with them (hopefully) and serve them. We were created to have these types of relationships with one another. Proverbs 17:17 It pleases God to see us fellowship with one another in His name.

Storge--I'm not going to lie: I've never really heard of this one before. But I guess it means affection, like the affection parents will have for their child(ren). "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." Psalms 127:3 Children are a blessing, and we naturally feel affectionate towards them (well, most of us).

There certainly is a lot of love in the Bible. If we love God and love others, we fulfill the law. Loving is exactly what we're called to do. But it isn't always easy. I'm sure there are people in your life that you find difficult to love. But that doesn't make you any less called to love them. In Luke 6:32, Jesus calls us to love ALL. Not just the people we want to love or find it easy to love. We should love our enemies, and pray for them. Matthew 5:44-48 Visit Paul's love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. Dwell in it, soak it up. Love never fails. God is love. God never fails. God hasn't left us alone. He has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 He made the ultimate sacrifice for us--giving His Son, giving Himself. Agape in its truest form. Jesus loved us while we were sinners. He prayed for us. And He died for us. His commands are to love, give, pray. Let's obey.