Joy A. Mead

Prayer is a meaningful exercise of our faith in which we approach God asking for something or petitioning on behalf of someone else. Varying from great to small, there are many prayer requests that are presented because we need wisdom to come to a decision too hard to make on our own, we need some practical help for ourselves, or perhaps we are praying for a friend’s need. 

Whatever it is we are praying about, we can have full confidence to approach the throne of grace and that God will listen to us, his children. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

It does not mean that every request will be answered straightaway. Some prayer requests take time. Sometimes the answer is a clear yes and at other times the answer is no. And still there are instances where greater patience than we would like is required. 

As a Christ follower, I often like to think I know what I ask will generally be in God’s will. However, that can be completely arrogant on my part. Because no matter how noble a prayer I am asking of God, I do not know his greater plan, the future, and what is fully best for me. Something which seems good to me might not be in God’s plans for my life.

I’ve been in a season of waiting for quite a while, days/months/years to be exact, on a specific prayer to be answered. And looking back years ago, I can see that my heart motive in asking did have a tinge of selfishness to it. Sure, there would be lots of good if this prayer request was answered with a yes, but I can see now that at the original time of praying, I didn’t quite have the right heart attitude.

I’m learning to keep praying in faith, knowing that eventually an answer will come. I have grown more accustomed to having a heart attitude ready to say, “Yet not my will, but yours be done,”(Luke 22:42) before even offering my prayer request. God knows what is best for my life, and I can trust that however he answers, good will come from any waiting. 

In our church, we have a strong focus on worship and inviting the Holy Spirit to be with us. As we wait on God, we can show a physical sign of a humble and expectant heart to lay down our desires and receive what the Lord has for us that day, by putting our hands out and palms facing up. I have found this such a helpful way to physically respond to laying down my sin, burdens, desires, and waiting in the expectation that God will fill me with his peace until he answers my prayers in his time and way. 

The hands out, palms up gesture is a reflection of our heart attitude—ready to praise him for who he is, spend time with him, and wait in his presence, all before presenting our petitions.

There are certainly many ways to pray, and I believe God does love a genuine heart who wants to include him in all the day’s happenings. Many of my prayers consist of informal chats throughout the days. I want to invite God to be in all that I am doing. But every now and then, I must check my heart posture that I can humbly say I want God’s will more than my own, that I remember God is not a vending machine to give me what I want, and that I acknowledge God will answer my prayers however he sees fit. 

He is God Almighty and I am his humble servant. May I always have the awe and reverence for who he is first and be at peace knowing that he knows every prayer of mine before I speak one word. (Matthew 6:8)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”—Hebrews 12:1

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”—Psalm 55:22