How Should We Pray?
If you’re like me, you pray. A lot! My day is peppered with quick prayers. “Lord, help me find a parking spot!” “Help me understand this mess!” “Help me survive this season, or diagnosis, or betrayal, or chaos.” Petitioning God comes easy but prayer is more than just asking God for help. Prayer is interacting with Him. It is both talking to God and listening to what He says.
The other day, I read a verse that made me pause to reflect on my prayers. “Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4: 2. I circled the three commands found in this verse. Devote. Watch. Give thanks. Then I dug deeper.
We are told to be devoted to prayer. Devote means to give a lot of time; to commit, to make a dedicated investment with a sacred quality. Does this characterize my prayer life? Do I set apart both quantity and quality time for prayer? Is the time I spend praying sacred? Or do I just flippantly offer up requests as needed? I believe God hears both set-apart and in-the-moment prayers, but am I intentionally setting apart sacred time to talk with Him? Am I devoted to prayer?
This verse also instructs us to be watchful. To be watchful, one must observe closely and be on the look-out. I spend time talking to God but I grow weary in the waiting for His answers. I stop listening. I forget to stand watch with an expectant heart believing He hears my prayers and will work on my behalf. Luke 18: 1 says, “We should pray and not give up.” Am I on the lookout for God to show up and answer my prayers? Do I trust that He will answer my prayers even if He hasn’t yet?
Lastly, this verse commands us to be thankful. A thankful heart is satisfied. It expresses gratitude and joy. We can be thankful even before God answers our prayers. Isaiah 30: 19 gives us this assurance: “He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as He hears it, He answers you.” Do I thank God in advance for hearing my prayers and for the answers He will surely give? Our thankfulness is rooted in our trust in God. Do I trust His plans for me? Am I thankful even when the answers aren’t what I had hoped they would be?
Sometimes God answers quickly. Sometimes He seems silent. His silence shouldn’t spin us into a frenzy trying to figure things out on our own. Rather, His silence should cause us to draw near to Him and settle down; to trust Him and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37). Am I listening? Am I delighting myself in God trusting that He will establish my steps and uphold me?
Lord, I not only believe You hear my prayers, but I am choosing to trust Your timing and believe Your answers are best. Therefore, I will devote myself to prayer, refusing to give up, knowing that in Your grace and good timing You will answer me. Amen
