Praying, to me, felt like paper airplanes thrown into the air to an Almighty God that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. Hope thrown into the darkness, into the expanse of the sky.
To me, the word “pray” was so overused that it seemed to have lost its conviction. Everyone says it. “I’ll pray for you.” Does that really mean anything? Is it just something that we say to each other? Like we wish something better for them, but we aren’t going to make a casserole, so we tell them that we are going to pray?
What if our God wants to teach us to look to Him, so He patiently waits for us to ask so He can answer?
My son Teddy snuck a bubble maker into his bed yesterday at nap time. He turned it on, and I heard the buzzing sound as bubbles were exploding from underneath the covers. His eyes looked at me wide, not knowing what to do. When I saw him, I paused and asked, “Is anything wrong?” waiting for him to tell me what was happening, even though I obviously already knew. Like every Love and Logic parent out there, I responded, “That is so sad,” and then came to his rescue with gentle correction, helping him out of the mess.
I wonder if God waits for us like that. If God wants us to learn to look to Him, so He waits for us to pray…He waits for us to ask.
A few years ago, I changed how I think about prayer from “praying” to “pleading.” The posture of my heart changed from lax and nonchalant to persistent and resilient.
Those who don’t believe in God still ask for prayer. But would they plead to someone they don’t believe to be true? Would they plead to someone they don’t believe exists? A servant would plead her case to the king like a child pleads to her father. They plead because they know the power is there. Let me assure you: the power is there.
Plead and listen. I believe God may be waiting to answer our prayers, and in His wisdom, He is waiting for us to learn to ask so we can create the pattern of looking to Him for our needs.
My heart overflows with faith and is seated on a foundation of trust because, as I have pleaded with our King, I have seen our God do what only He can do. I want more than anything for you to see it, for you to see Him.
If you begin to plead to our God, believing that He can do what He says, I believe our God will blow you away. Stop tossing the paper airplanes, starting pleading with your God. The One who you have heard about will become the One who you know, the One that you know will become the One that you trust, and that is a relationship that you can build your life upon.
HLLF,
