Seeing Jesus Through the Lens of Prayer By: Dr. Daniel Dickard

When was the last time you asked God for something that was beyond your ability?
When was the last time you approached God for something you couldn't figure out or take credit for?
When was the last time you addressed God in a posture of desperation? 
And here is the key question: Did you give up?

Prayer, for many, is a last resort rather than a first option. We give little thought to prayer. And, when we do, it is often a “lay-me-down-to-sleep” kind of prayer. I’ve noticed that many Christians attach the effectiveness of prayer to the timing of God’s response. This inevitability leads to frustration. What we need to do is change the lens through which we see prayer. In other words, we need to adjust the glasses of our prayers.

Here are three ways you can change the lens of your prayers this year:

Lens # 1: Persistence over production  
Seasons of waiting are seasons of praying. It is critical that we not mistake God’s silence for indifference. Let us not mistake God’s stillness for inactivity. The Bible is clear: we are to persist in prayer. I find it interesting that when Scripture speaks about prayer, it is usually with the lens towards steadfastness. For example, in Luke 11:1-13, the focus is on persistence in prayer. Luke 18:1-8 emphasizes constancy in prayer. The truth of the matter is this: God often hears our prayers without answering them immediately.
Do not let unanswered prayers lead you to unoffered prayers.
When God tells you “yes,” he is saying, “help yourself to my blessings.” When God tells you “no,” he is saying, “I am protecting you from something or saving you for something.” And when God is silent, he is saying, “persist in prayer.” It is important that we get to the point where the meaning of prayer is that we get a hold of God – and not the answer. The measurement of prayer is that we continue to pray despite the result. Remember: it not the length of our prayer nor the loudness of our prayer that matters. It is the heart of the prayer. And the most effective way to measure your soul is praying with persistence.  

Lens # 2: Prayer before action
The most important spiritual disciples are often the most neglected ones. Prayer must precede action if we want the blessings of God in our life, family, and ministry. If we are to go forward in our faith, it begins on our knees. If we are to go forward in our marriages, it begins on our knees. If we are to go forward in our families, it begins on our knees.  If we are to go forward as a church, it begins on our knees. No individual is greater than his or her prayer life. No marriage is greater than its prayer life. No family is greater than its prayer life. And no church is greater its prayer life. If we fail in prayer, we fail everywhere else. If we act before prayer, we fail too.

Lens # 3: Intimacy over location
There are twenty-three prayers of Jesus in the Bible. In addition to his regular times of prayer, we find Jesus praying at His baptism, when He selected the Twelve, at the Mount of Transfiguration, at the feeding of the five thousand, at the raising of Lazarus, at Gethsemane, at the cross, and at His ascension. Consider these prayers. They demonstrate that Jesus prayed everywhere. He prayed alone and in a crowd. He prayed early in the morning and late in the evening. He prayed at the greatest moments as well as the darkest moments of His life.  In other words, it was not the location of prayer that mattered. It was the intimacy of prayer. Jesus valued intimacy over location. You should too.

Let me ask you a question: Do you mark out intimate moments to meet with Jesus?

You will scarcely find intimate time with Jesus if you are not intentional to do so.  We must remember: prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, it is laying hold to His willingness. God will answer, if you will wait. I encourage you to keep praying until the light breaks through. Keep on praying – whether you receive an immediate answer, no answer, or a delayed one. Your prayers may be awkward. Your attempts may seem feeble. But we know that the power of prayer is not in the one who says it, but the God who hears it. So, continue to pray. It makes a difference.