One of the degrees Pt II

So, why pray? If we can't create the divine IOUs that will have God bent to our will, then why bother praying at all?

I asked myself this several times. I didn't like my first couple of answers. They included; "because He said so", "you're supposed to", "why not?", "it's a mystery", and then a few frustrated comments. Yeah, sometimes not so nice to me, especially when I get a bit on the bratty side.

Counted to 10, a couple of times, and sat down to listen.

Why pray?

Prayer is not about changing God, changing God's mind or affecting His sovereign will. Prayer is not about that at all. Prayer is, pure and simple, about affecting US. Individually, corporately, physically, emotionally, spiritually and a few other "ly"s that I haven't gotten my head around yet....that is the bottom line.

Prayer (and worship) is not done out of a need that God has in his great cosmic heart to be filled by affirmations of his creation recognizing that he is God. Prayer (and worship) should be directed to God out of adoration for what he has already done for us and what he has promised to do in our future, even if the world (and its systems, princes and powers) gets in the way....ultimate victor belongs to the creator and at some point in "time", there will come a day when the sky will roll back like a scroll and the rider on the white horse whose name is upon his thigh will appear, and every knee will bow, human, mammal, spirit and demon at his glorious coming and will proclaim him LORD whether they do so of their own will or HIS.

The process of sanctification get best be described of that by which we approach the intended holiness that God would have in us. Prayer (and worship) is about just that. We enter into that two way conversation with God, thanks to his son Jesus, which draws us into deeper and deeper relationship with the Father while Holy Spirit works in and through us affecting the world, and one could say the spiritual atmosphere, around us. That's why we pray. We pray for healing to take place not because God somehow forgot or misplaced a healthy diagnosis for someone.  God knows our needs, knew us when still in the womb. We pray for healing to take place as invitation to Holy Ghost to break into our world, into our lives, to move the princes and powers of this world out of the way so healing will/can occur. That is why we pray.

The purpose of prayer is most clearly demonstrated in the model prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples: Your name be hallowed, Your kingdom come and Your will be done---here on earth as it is already done in heaven. We are asking for God to change us and the world in which we live so that it more perfectly lines up with the heavenly courts and God's plan from the get go. This is about God changing us and we making ourselves available to him for that very purpose.

Pray for peace? Yes. Why? Because through the effective working of pray, this world changes. In part because we make ourselves available to God that we may be transformed and in part because as we, through Adam and Eve, kicked him out of our lives, we  through prayer invite him back in.

I know that God wants to break thru in healing, transforming lives and relationships, setting right that which has gone horribly wrong, setting captives free physically spiritually and emotionally and give away freely love and peace. I know this because I have read time and time again in his word that this is his desire. Prayer, done out of a heart founded and grounded in latria, may be that move which opens the door further to the transformation of our own lives and the lives of those around us.