We Pray

All over the world people are praying, and there is a really good chance we are all praying for similar things: peace, joy, vision, good health, provision and most likely a deeper relationship with God.

Wish I could play the song "We Pray" I used at Good Landing on Tuesday by Coldplay and friends but I could not figure out a way to put it in this blog. Check it out on YouTube. Chris Martin the band leader said he wrote this song in the middle of the night and felt he needed to include people of other nations as singers, some in their own languages. It's a big hit and played before millions of people. It is a conversation starter!

Prayer is a conversation with God that can be had at any time or place. Billy Graham spoke of how his daughter prayed on her knees every day for hours to the point of getting arthritis. But he added that was just her way, and that he prayed even while delivering a sermon for people's hearts to open to the message. Most importantly it is a connector between us and God, and if he is everywhere, then prayer can be had anywhere.

Some use the Lord's Prayer as a model, but I used 3 significant examples for their uniqueness. First the Prayer Of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9-11. He was named as a pain, he was referred to only once in the Bible, but he prayed for five separate things: a blessing, an enlarged territory, guidance, protection from harm and freedom from pain. Imagine that, a man named pain (from his painful childbirth), asking for relief from that pain.

Jabez asked for a lot, but David asked for even more in Psalm 56. And he aired out how he felt to God which is so important for us, we hurt, we are afraid and we cry, sometimes with folks telling us we should have enough faith to not feel that way. Tell that to David as his enemies lurked all around him, ready to destroy him. Or better yet tell Peter who was about to be put on trial and executed.

Acts 12 tells the story of him being locked up for his beliefs, chained between two soldiers, and guarded by 16 men. While he was there, the church was ​earnestly praying for him. So God sent an angel to deliver Peter from the hands of Herod answering the church's prayer, as he answered Jabez prayer by granting his request, and by also delivering David from his enemies.

With such a great track record of success, why wouldn't we pray? Nothing is too much, too unusual, and nothing is too hard for him to handle. Even if he doesn't grant our request it is still an answer. and as that songs says sometimes we have to "thank God for unanswered prayer". We got more than we asked for!

In that song ​We Pray hope springs eternal with these words: I know that heaven is waiting, I know somewhere there is something amazing, I know somewhere we'll feel no pain. Why not pray until we get there? It would be good to connect to the God we will meet face to face with one day.

Ultimately that will be the answer to our prayer!