When we finally enter into a full relationship with God and see Him as more than a vending machine – yes, the metaphor works, we start fully understanding that prayer isn’t only about asking for blessings and for petitions for ourselves and others. Those things are part of the relationship, but only part. I asked my parents for money to go out for pizza or money for gas or help with a problem or intervention with a friend’s problem.
But there were times that I just curled up on mom’s lap or sat beside her while we watched a movie. Sometimes I just went fishing with Dad and we would watch the sun come up over the lake in Canada at 5:00 in the morning together. Sometimes I went into the other room to play the piano for Dad because He loved hearing me play or I would bring mom a flower out of the garden because she loved them on the table.
I had a relationship with my parents. It was a relationship that went both ways.
When I read the Bible, it’s not about racking up points to achieve the next level of prayer response, it’s about knowing God better. That correlates quite nicely to listening to my parents as they told stories of their lives before we knew them, or as they talked about their day with me. I knew my parents intimately because I listened to them. I know God intimately because I read His words and learn about Him.
When I work at the church (outside of my normal work day), I am just participating in the normal life of the relationship. It’s much like cleaning my room or setting the table, washing the dishes or laundry, or getting things ready for guests to come to dinner.
When I tithe, I am supporting the things that our family does together. I didn’t have to contribute a lot to the family when I was growing up, but at a certain point I wanted to do more and I did end up contributing. I was expected to grow up and learn how to spend money wisely and how to purchase the things that I needed because mom and dad couldn’t handle everything. I fI wanted a car, I had to find out how to pay for gas and insurance. If we want things to happen at the church, we have to figure out how to pay for all of those things – it’s a relationship.
So, when I pray … this is my time alone with God. We talk. I don’t just hand Him a list of petitions. We get to those. One night as I was praying, my mind began bombarding me with name after name of people that I felt I needed to pray for. All of a sudden, I heard Him say, “You know what. I know all about those. I’ve got it. What I want from you right now is for you to just enjoy me.” So, I relaxed. He DID know about all of the things I was worried about. He had ‘em. I needed to release them and just relax. I remember going home after a dicey meeting. Mom had been there, she had experienced the same things I did. We sat down on the couch and I began unloading on her about everything. Finally she just said, “I was there – I remember. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.” Well, we did.
I don’t know if I can teach you how to pray. I certainly don’t feel like I’ve got a complete handle on it yet. In fact, I’m pretty confident that I never will feel that way. But, I don’t worry about it anymore. I still enjoy reading the books and learning what God is saying through other people, but I’m concentrating on the relationship. If He doesn’t answer all of my petitions, well, it’s not really my call. I don’t know what the big picture looks like. I’m stuck in my own image of how the world should look. I might be right a lot of the time, but I’m not God. I don’t know what things work out as they do, but I know that He does.
This relationship? It’s being built on trust. Me trusting in the One that created all things. And when it all plays out … I’m going to just be thankful that I can hang out with that Creator and He and I will know a lot about each other. That intimacy is an incredible thing and I look forward to being up close and personal with God in the throne room.
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