Day 9 of Prayer

Prayer is one way we communicate and connect with God. Just like Jesus retreated from ministry and people to be in solitude with the Father, it is that important for our lives to get away from what we’re doing and who we think we are for others. We need to get reoriented with the Father about who we really are and what he says about us. These is no perfect way to pray, and I’m thankful for different humans in the Bible who modeled different ways of connecting with the Father. Abraham was called a “friend of God”, Moses saw the back of God, David wept and sang to the Lord, Job vented all his grief and frustration to God, Mary asked God questions, John leaned against the heart-beat of His savior, Martha wept and poured perfume on Jesus’ feet, Jesus withdrew from the crowds and ministry to meet with God, Jesus sweated drops of blood in deep anxiety to the Father, and many others modeled how we become so aware of the presence of God when we are raw and present with where we really are in our lives and with God. God is not angry or withdrawn by those who come before him, whether they are coming in repentance, deep desire, or emotional turmoil. In many scriptures we see that God wants us to be honest with him, so God can meet us in that need and show himself faithful, “...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” 1 Peter 5:7. God desires to care for us in our deepest pains, but in order for him to meet us there, he desires to be asked into our anxiety, our desperation, our need, our relationships, and our lives. God is not manipulative. He does not use our vulnerability against us or force us to be vulnerable either. Above all else God desires relationships with his children and sent his only son to restore those relationships. For healthy relationships to grow and trust to be built, vulnerabilities are a necessity. In prayer, we can come before God, fully vulnerable (because the one who intercedes on our behalf fully understands what we’ve been through and any temptation we face, Hebrews 4:15), and be fully ourselves and welcome him into wherever we are and ask him to be God in that situation. Many times we want God to change a situation, when God simply desires to be with us and transform us into the image of his Son. So, even if our prayers go unanswered, God’s desire for us to grow in relationship with him and maturity in Christ comes to pass in the seasons that we experience suffering and the nearness of his presence (Romans 5:3-6; Psalm 34:18).

Written by Esther Boyer