Prayer (part two)

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

When you pray, what kinds of things should you talk about?  Frankly, almost anything.  What do you talk to mom or dad about?  God is your heavenly Father, after all.  What do you discuss with your friends?  Jesus has called you His friend.  What do you say to your teacher or boss?  Christ is your mentor and leader as well.  Anything you are willing to speak about is something the Savior wants to hear.

Most of the time, our prayers tend to be requests.  Help with making a tough decision.  Relief from a major health problem.  Assistance when money is tight.  But other requests are important too.  Forgiveness after messing up.  Courage to do the right thing in spite of opposition.  The ability to recognize and resist temptation.  A stronger faith in God’s love and promises of care.

Sadly, we tend to get so wrapped up in our own concerns that we forget to pray for others.  Scripture says that we should pray for our leaders, that God might protect and guide them.  We are told to pray for those who have brought us pain.  We should pray for those serving time in prison, those who are victims of mistreatment or don’t have enough to live on, and those who put themselves at risk on our behalf, like soldiers and officers of the law. 

The Bible also tells us to praise God and thank Him through our prayers.  The Almighty is not a vending machine where we register our petitions in order to get whatever we want.  The Lord is a person with feelings and priorities.  He loves us and wants what is best for us.  He also wants to be appreciated and demands that we respect Him.  We do neither when we constantly pepper Him with requests for this, that and something else, never taking the time to express our humble gratitude for His generosity and kindness.

But most important of all, we need to get in the habit of asking that His will be done, in our lives and all around us.  God is a lot smarter and wiser than we are. There are times when our prayers ask for things that we think are good, but God knows otherwise.  When He does not give us something we have prayed for, He undoubtedly has good reason.  We can pray about anything we want, but Christ will only give what is best for us in the end.