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What is prayer to you?

What is prayer to you?


Surely you have read a lot of books about prayer or your pastor or deacon had taught it many times in church. But what is this to you personally? To me, prayer is always a privilege because as I sinner by nature I should be destined to hell. But because of God's unconditional love and immeasurable grace. He gave a chance to put my personal trust to His one and only Son Jesus and by believing in Him. I am now saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).

 Since prayer is a privilege, I should take advantage to set a time to pray. Although I could pray anytime but it's always good to set a time where I can communicate with God. I call it a quality time. Jesus himself set an example when he prayed alone without his disciples (Luke 5:16). Jesus looked for a solemn place where there was no any disturbances to pray to the Father. 

It's always a humbling experience to pray. Knowing you will be talking to God, your Creator, a Holy and Righteous One. Way back in the Old Testament, the people would always go through a priest to bring their sacrifices. But now we can always come to God because of Jesus works on the cross. He torn the curtain's temple from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) which means we can go directly to the Father.

 Attitude of Prayer.
Many Christians get the idea of prayer in Matthew 7:7-11 where it says "7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

 Before we quote those verses as our basis in prayer. We have to understand that Chapter 7 is a continuing passage of Chapter 5 where the audiences are not his followers. See 5:1 "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him".

 In other words what Jesus was saying in verses 7-11 is, He was inviting those people to know Him in their lives. And He is willing to come their lives and be there Lord and Savior. The idea of Ask, seek and knock is to make an effort to know more about Jesus. So our attitude in prayer should to know Jesus more; rather than to get what we wanted. 

Let's say it was also address to his disciples because Matthew 5:1b "His disciples came to him". Meaning they were also listening to Jesus teaching that time.  

 Now let's go back to verse 1-6 when Jesus mentioned things such as judging others etc., that obviously speaks about our relationship with others. Then the preceding verses 7-27, He talks about more on our relationship with Him especially in verses 21-23. 

 What I'm trying to emphasize is our motives when we pray. Instead of giving glory to God by knowing His will through prayer. We tend to pray for our own selfish ambition. So when we pray, we have to ask God to change our motives from our will to His glory.

 That's why Jesus said in verses 21-22 that "not all who says unto Lord, Lord (through prayer in verses 7-8) will inherit the Kingdom of God, but only those who does the will of His Father..." Question, What is the will of the Father?. Read verse 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.". In other words those the will of the Father is to live a godly lives. 

 Therefore, Matthew 7:7-11 is to know Jesus and His will to your lives. 


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