Give Me Prayer

Is prayer a priority? Or is it an option? Is prayer something you must do? Or something you can do?

For me, I would say it is a priority. Talking to God is something that I must do!

In theory, that is. After some reflection, I realize that in practice, I treat prayer more like an option. I go to God with my deepest concerns . . . eventually.

My tendency is to have the experience, feel some type of way about it, then pick up the phone and call someone. This course of action is not wrong necessarily. It is just not Biblical. It is also not effective. Yes, I get a listening ear, some great or not so great advice, some validation, some needed correction, and maybe even a stroke or two of my ego.

I then walk away with these suggestions, opinions, and ideas—basically, more of what I went into the conversation with. But something was still missing. I wondered why. Then I read about Hezekiah.

During his reign as king of Judah, he had a habit of making prayer his first response to any crisis. From threats from the Assyrians to the news of death crouching at his door, the Bible says Hezekiah “. . . spread it out before the Lord” (2 Kings 19:14) or “. . . he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord . . .” (2 Kings 20:2).

Hezekiah knew that our problems were God’s opportunities to guide us and prayer is the means through which we access His guidance. Philippians 4:6b-7 says, “. . . in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

And that’s what I’d been missing: The peace. The guarding of my heart. The guarding of my mind.

Prayer sets us up to receive clarity regarding God’s will on a matter.  And with God’s will comes His peace. Once we have His peace, we have more than a plethora of suggestions, opinions, and ideas—we have a solution.

Conversations with loving, Godly, trustworthy humans have their place. But conversations are not a substitute for prayer. Thinking about a situation for hours, days, weeks, or months happens. But thinking about it does not constitute having prayed about it.

Only prayer is prayer.

Nothing else. No Biblical alternative. No app. Just prayer.

Prayer is talking to God. Make it a priority. Consider it something we must do. Regularly.

You can have the suggestions, opinions, and ideas.

Give me solutions.

Give me peace.

Give me prayer.