In this day and age, the importance of communication comes as no surprise.
Hungry? You can easily call for fast food.
Emergency situations? Access the emergency hotline.
Missing someone? Drop them a text or call them up.
Want to buy a particular item from those home shopping channel shows? “Call the number on the screen right now!”
These examples evidently show the role that communication plays in our life. It makes a lot of things very convenient for us.
If you need anything from God? Pray.
Opps! The statement above is a sad reflection of a habit formed towards prayer by some Christians. It may be sad reality, but it is a habit that can still be changed.
I will not deny that essentially; the statement above is true. The Lord encourages us to reach out to Him in our times of need as He is always faithful in providing for the needs of His children. BUT- there are 2 big questions that needs to be addressed here.
The first is, what is our idea of prayer? As we all know very well, prayer is our main means of communication with our Heavenly Father. A way to commune with Him for His guidance to continually direct our lives. An avenue wherein God is also able to reach us as we reach out to Him. It is in the stillness of prayer where we seek the voice of the Lord that He may come and fill us. Putting it all together, prayer is our lifeline. The connection we desperately cling to amidst this battle of the spirit we are in. Sadly, there are people and possibly times in our own lives where prayer is treated as a shallow hotline. A direct phone number to dial in, call, place your order and expect it to be delivered in 30 minutes or less. And what makes it worse is the fact that when those prayers aren’t met, or when it comes in the shape or form we least expect- we do what any irate customer does very well. Which is to complain.
Another big difference between these 2 concepts is that a hotline is an optional choice. It’s a convenient plan B whenever Plan A fails to work. Unlike a lifeline, where it is your only option. The first choice and the last one as well.
The second question is as important as the first, and that is how much do we believe in the power of prayer?
The great oriental conqueror Tamerlane once noticed an ant carrying a kernel many times bigger than its size as it climbed up a wall. The kernel dropped multiple times, yet the ant persevered until it was able to reach its destination at the top.
This question leads us to another sad reality, that unanswered prayers fuels a person to cease praying. The foundation of where these prayers stand is formed on necessity. It runs along the belief that because there seems to be no immediate change in my situation, my prayers don’t work so why bother praying at all.
However, should that prayer be built on a foundation of faith, it is like the ant. It will keep climbing and climbing until it perseveres. These are the prayers that are built on faith. Prayers of faith are unceasing because you the faithful considers unanswered prayers to be the fuel to persevere in spirit until the Lord answers it. Faithful prayers live on the perspective that the more you pray regardless of any initial manifestation that it is being answered, it is a step closer in having those prayers answered.
William Arthur once regarded triumphant prayers as steadfast persistent and draws strength from pervious prayers. Now its time to ask yourself, what is the intention of my prayers?
Is it your persevering lifeline on which you cling to? Or is it a hotline for instant convenience?
The life we are called to as Christians is not a life of convenience. One does not need to look so far to realize this. Just look at how Jesus lived.
Was it out of convenience that He came down from Heaven to Earth as a man.
Was it convenient for Him to suffer and die on that cross for our sins?
He was the perfect example of perseverance and faith. One we must always look to emulate and reflect.
Our prayers are a direct reflection of our faith as Christians and it is important that we keep on practicing prayers built on faith. Practice is what strengthens our resolve to persevere and in the end, whatever we practice becomes a permanent habit.
Keep God in your permanent habit and always remember that it is important for us to never take our spiritual life for granted.
