What is your prayer life like? Do you shout out "help me" now and then? Do you have your list in hand, read out the names and tell God to take care of these? Do you ask Him for more blessings, good health, a better relationship with someone, or fire from heaven to devour your enemy? So, what is your prayer life like? Do you lay your heart and mind on the table, bowed down, burdened with your own sin and gut-wrenchingly place your everything in His hands and communicate with Him as though He were your Daddy?
Prayers don't have to be long, King James-sounding, theologically impressive verbiage. There is no formula you must use, just like there is no formula for talking to your dad. You love your dad and you need his insight and direction. You love your heavenly Father and you need His insight, direction, leading and power.
If you need guidelines, Jesus has given them in Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-13. (My next post will share some gleanings from one of Isaiah's prayers who almost goes exactly by Jesus answer to His disciples on prayer. And that about 800 years before it was said!) Jesus never intended for us to quote this as a prayer, but use it as an outline to teach you how to pray. However, after you learn and relax in your relationship with the Father through prayer, like any outline or guide rules, they aren't needed and the communication will come naturally. (I'm not saying Jesus guidelines aren't needed, as all scripture is always useful for correction and training. I'm just saying prayer comes as a natural desire of making it the priority of your heart.)
Scripture gives us great prayers of the many people who were just like us: sinful, struggling humans that want to please a holy God. Their prayers are as different as personalities are different and also as their place on the Christian growth scale is different. But the fact is, if they are in the Bible, the inspired word of God, then we can definitely learn much from these prayers. I share this post as an introduction to one of Isaiah's prayers. I was encouraged, convicted and excited as I read Isaiah's passion for His God, His Father, the Creator of all things. It ignited in me the desire to continue digging and "seeking first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added..." And prayer is the only way to see this "addition" whether it's growth in your spiritual life or your evangelistic efforts for the growth of the kingdom. All addition, all growth in the spiritual realm is in and of the power of God through Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN
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