Ordinary Prayer

Answers to prayers are an ordinary part of life because God has built prayer into creation. Prayer is an avenue He has left open that we may help shape the world. Prayer is God asking us what we would like the world to be like.

So when should we pray? We should pray when we feel our heart moved. He is close to those with a broken heart and the bible tells us* He looks for those who are grieved because of the evil in the world. He looks and searches us out. Who are those that pray for righteousness to be upheld in the world? He moves us to pray for justice and righteousness, He let's us know what's on His heart; He also wants us to let Him know what's on our hearts. His ear is attentive to our prayer.

Some people blame God for making the world the way it is. The blame rests on humankind, it is we who ought to pray for the world to be changed. We may think, “but how can I change the world by my puny little prayer?” If a lot of us all pray for the same thing amazing things can be achieved. An army of ants can achieve big results where one ant alone would struggle. When something in the world happens and God moves the hearts of His people, then we all ought to pray. The prayer of one righteous man can achieve great things how much more the prayers of many saints?

My guitar students learn best when I ask them what kind of music they want to play, the business world has learned this too, their products are much more user friendly than they used to be. Local councils ask us what kind of amenities, we want, what kind of leisure facilities, what kind of communities do we want to live in? Adventure play grounds are designed with children whose ideas help design them. Even the Government to some degree listens to the people and tries to accommodate our ideas and desires. God also asks what kind of world we want. He made the basic building blocks of the universe; now He asks us what else do you want me to do. The universe is not a fait accompli, but is moving somewhere; it's coming to a point.

Furthermore He knows what we will pray before we pray; He can therefore make space for our prayers in the chain of cause and effect. A mother praying for her son to be kept safe on his walking holiday, may have helped shape a mountain, causing a rock to fall just missing her son rather than on top of him. God heard her prayer at the beginning of creation and knew that at that precise time her son would be walking around the mountain a strong wind would dislodge a rock on the side of a mountain, God hearing the mother's prayer accommodated the shape of the mountain causing the rock to miss her son, rather than hit him.

Sometimes Christians can be guilty of being fatalistic: “well the Lord's coming back so what's the point of praying for the world? It'll all change when He returns.” Perhaps it is our prayers that will help hasten His return. It's one more reason to pray, the Rock made without hands will fill the whole earth*. The wheat and chaff grow together; we need to pray that the wheat will grow strong, that righteousness and justice will prevail. We don't know the details of the second coming; God has withheld the detail from us, but has given us enough information to be ready for it. Commentators tell us that some men in Thessalonica stopped working because Christ's return was just round the corner; in a similar way some Christian's don't pray for large issues in the world because they think Christ's second coming doesn't warrant them to pray. Paul told the Thessalonians to get to work, in a similar way maybe we are told to “get to prayer”.

The first coming of Christ was prophesied but still men couldn't pin point it until it had happened. It's God's job to arrange the second coming when and how He likes, it's incumbent upon us to pray.

“Pray for those in leadership over you”, we are told to pray for kings, (presidents, prime ministers), this pleases God. I Tim 2:1 – 2 I attended a prayer meeting where we prayed faithfully every week for the release of Terry Waite, a British hostage in Lebanon held for 1,763 days. One day I left the prayer meeting got in my car and news of Terry's situation and imminent release was on the radio. Men ought always to pray and not faint.

* Ezekiel 9:4

* Daniel 2:34-35

Bio

Paul is a singer/songwriter, author and speaker. He tours with his band, the Paul Poulton Project in the UK and the US, playing modern rock, blues and funk His next tour of the US is being planned for July/August 2009. He also writes articles for web sites and magazines. He has recently had a book published called 'Fishing For Praise'.
www.myspace.com/paulpoultonproject
www.paulpoulton.com