PRAYER IS COMPLEX BUT SIMPLE, REALLY

1 John 5:13-15 NLT
[13] “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. [14] And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. [15] And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

It’s amazing how good we are at making complicated what God has made simple. It’s all about whether He hears us or doesn’t hear us.

Among the many ways in which we carry out this marvel called prayer, asking is one of the central parts. Not all but much of prayer is asking, and even asking can take many forms.

We ask for forgiveness, we ask for material things, we ask for help, we ask for change, we ask for wisdom, we ask for God’s will to be done, and so we can go on. We even ask questions which the Father loves to answer.

Asking is also accompanied by our attitude. When we are the centre of our universe, our prayers will be arrogant, selfish, and demanding. When God is the hub of our lives, our prayers will be about Him and His business in both our lives and in the world around us.

However, John inserts a detail which is absolutely top-of-the-list for God to hear and answer our prayers. If any of the conditions for God to answer us are omitted, God waits for us to change our attitude, but any prayer that does not line up with God’s will, He simply ignores. Why?

Sometimes, much of our prayer is focused on our wants, desires, and even demands. Our will features big in our praying.

James inducted his readers for the wrong kind of asking.

James 4:2-3 NLT
[2b] …. “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. [3] And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”

We form our attitudes in prayer by the way we form our ideas and understanding about God, His works and His ways, and by the way we view ourselves in His scheme of things.

Humility, submission, faith, perseverance, confidence, are all in the mix if we desire real answers. These attitudes are part of our ongoing relationship and fellowship with the Father, but seeking His will as we pray is more of a deliberate act, a choice to submerge our lives into His in the issues for which we pray.

John says that praying according to His will is sure-fire way to get answers. Knowing what His will is when we ask for solutions gives us confidence to ask in faith.

How do we know what His will is in such a variety of situations for which we pray? God can and does respond to telegram, panic prayers but He loves it when we are so soaked in His Word that we become familiar with His ways.

Romans 12:1-2 NLT
[1] “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [2] Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Knowing God’s ways will help us to navigate situations in our and other lives prayerfully because God desires us to engage with Him constantly as we journey through life.

So, says John, take the time and trouble to learn God’s ways so clearly revealed in His Word. Submit yourself to Him in every part of your life. Approach Him with boldness, confidence, and trust, and ask Him to fulfil His promises as they relate to circumstances. You can be sure that God’s answers will meet needs according to His will so that His glory is revealed as each situation unfolds.