Prayer Envy

PRAYER ENVY

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14.

CONFESSION:  I have prayer envy.  Have you ever been around someone whose spontaneous prayers are like the most lovely poetry you have ever read?  I am not one of those silver-tongued people.

Once at church we broke off into small groups of five or six, and were taking turns praying for one another’s needs.  One gentleman began praying for my friend, and I was half tempted to open one eye to see if he was reading the prayer out of a book, because his prayer was so beautiful.  I remember thinking at the time that I wished I had a gift to pray eloquently like that.

I will be honest. I tend to be nervous praying aloud in front of others.  While prayers may flow from my pen, they stumble like potatoes out of a sack from my lips.

Since I’m confessing, I will admit that once during a similar service, when we were going to break off into groups to pray, I excused myself and hid in a stall in the bathroom until the prayer was over.  I’d like to tell you that it came only from shyness, but my reluctance to pray came primarily from pride.  And I was on the worship team!

In the years since, I have learned much.  For other souls that stumble over praying aloud, be encouraged in this:

God isn’t looking for perfect prayers.  He is looking for those who are looking for Him.

“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God" – Psalm 14:2.

The Lord draws close when we care less about performing perfect prayers than about honestly coming before Him and baring the neediness of our soul.

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” - Psalm 145:18

The Father doesn’t mind when we stand silent before Him, at a loss for words.  Sometimes our prayers don’t even need to be words.  He can interpret the meaning of every sigh, groan and tear.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” – Romans 8:26

How many of us scrutinize the sentence structure used by our crying child with a skinned knee in need of a loving parent, or correct their sentences when they crawl up on our lap for affection?  Why would the Father be less of a good parent than we?  He isn’t.  He is exceedingly better.

Why not just crawl up on His lap in prayer? Share your heart with your compassionate and welcoming Father.  He would prefer to hear the unvarnished truth that flows from our heart, than a memorized prayer, recited while we think about other things.

A friend feels loved when we pray for them.  Whether our words flow or if they come by way of struggle, both prayers impact their soul.  It is a selfless expression of love, not a performance. The comfort received comes through our empathy and care and by the work of the Holy Spirit, not through flawless oratory execution.

Beloved, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7.

Father, teach us to pray.  Remind us that it’s not about us and, instead, to place our focus squarely upon You.  And use us to bless and to point our broken world, in need of HOPE, to Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

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