SPECIFICS IN PRAYER

‭Romans 1:10-12 NLT‬
[10] “One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. [11] For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. [12] When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”

We learn a great deal from Paul’s recorded prayers, about specific praying. Paul didn’t beat about the bush. He asked the Lord for what he wanted but… he also specified why he asked for what he wanted. “So that..” features in most of his prayers.

This aspect of prayer exposes some of the reasons for unanswered prayer. We have not examined the reason for our request and, unfortunately, according to James, our reasons are often selfish and lustful.

‭James 4:2-3 NLT‬
[2]… “You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. 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.”

James is rather blunt! Without a sincere and legitimate motive, our prayers reach no higher than the ceiling.

It seems that our prayers must include two important specific considerations, what we pray for and why we pray for what we ask. “Why am I asking God for this or that, or to do this or that?” is an essential part of our prayers.

This implies that the request part of our prayers cannot be willy-nilly random prayers but requests tied to a legitimate purpose, and that the purpose for which we pray is in harmony with God’s will.

Can you see, then, that God has invited us into a relationship with Himself that is meaningful and going somewhere?

Jesus epitomised this relationship in His interaction with the Father. Praying and doing the Father’s will were top priority in His life and He bent all His words and actions towards that purpose. His goal was to glorify His Father. He saw an opportunity to put His Father on display in every situation in His life.

‭‭John 9:1-3 NLT‬
[1] “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. [2] “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” [3] “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”

Jesus’ prayers were peppered with the desire for His Father’s will and His gratitude that the Father had heard Him. His “So that’s” would most definitely have been a vital part of His praying.

Imagine the transformation in our own lives, as well as in the lives of those for whom we pray and the situations for which we pray if we included well-thought-out “so that’s…” in our prayers!