You may have heard that prayer is our lifeline to God. Or that it's the most important thing we can do as believers. You've probably felt or seen it's real-life affects. We are driven to it in desperate moments, even those who don't fully believe. And yet, I don't depend on it enough. Sometimes I just take for granted that God knows what I need (even before I ask, right?). But there is something that happens when I ask. The simple act of verbally talking (or writing) to God changes things, makes things happen... in me, and in the world. But prayer is not a magical act that will enforce my will on my circumstances, because -- above all -- one should try to fully comprehend WHO we are praying to, and who we are in relationship to Him.
That said, I think Peter... let me stop right here for a side bar... I was just reading an article that reminded me that when we read the Bible, we should remind ourselves that all of it is God's words to us. Even though there are many authors over thousands of years, their words were inspired by God. So when we read, remember God is talking to us. And when I say that Peter wrote or said something, his words are something that God is telling us. Okay, back to my original thought...
That said, I think Peter is telling us in 4:7 what we should keep in mind so that we can pray. What are these things (there are 3) and how do we apply them to our lives?
For more on how to pray, see Jesus' instructions here.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
How to Pray
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4 comments:
1) Clear Mind
2) Self Control
3) End is Near
These are the three things we should keep in mind when we pray. This verse is saying that we need to be serious about prayer. It is not something to take lightly. The end could be near so we should all pray every day like it is our last day on this earth. This is easier said than done. I think that to apply these three things to our lives, we need to ask for God's help. Set aside a bit of time each day to pray. If you are like me and sometimes wait until the end of the day, you are exhausted and you put it off. I have to set aside time in the morning or early afternoon to pray. Having a clear mind when you pray means that you pray with purpose and understanding and you know that you are coming into the presence of the Lord.
Why do you suppose he added self-control?
Good comments. And that is interesting, Bec -- why is self control important for prayer? Maybe it's because self-control is like checking yourself, your motives, your attitude. Perhaps we can think of the opposite of a self-controlled person, and how that person would be praying, or what would be different about his/her prayer.
Another thing to think about is considering how prayer is a conversation... A conversation looses some of its power when one of the persons is uncontrolled and foggy-minded and careless about the future. How do you communicate with someone like that?
I think these things -- particularly the first two meagan mentioned -- are important because it helps us to listen to God's end of the conversation.
The "self control" aspect speaks to me because I have a problem with my mind drifting in all different directions when I pray (I'll pray about one thing, and then I'll start thinking about it and go off on all these tangents instead of moving to the next thing I want to pray about). I have to be aware of this and do everything I can to stay focused on the fact that I am having a conversation with God, and not trying to work through problems on my own.
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