Shall We Pray?
Remember the story about the guy trying to find a parking place at the mall during the holiday season? There are a few versions, but one goes like this: After driving several laps around the lot, he prays, “Lord, if you open up a spot for me, I’ll stop sleeping in on Sunday, attend every week, and give at least 10% of my income!” At that moment, the clouds part, and the sun shines directly on an open space, right near the entrance! The guy looks to heaven and says: “Never mind, I found one.”
That may be funny, but it is no joke when it comes to how some view answers to prayer. Skeptics often see God’s responses as mere coincidences. The Bible is clear that God not only answers in ways we might expect but in unexpected ways as well. One of those unexpected ways is granting our petitions even before we ask! Here’s a story that’s no joke and illustrates that truth well:
Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to the Congo, told the story of a mother on her mission station who died after giving birth to a premature baby. They tried to improvise an incubator, but the only hot water bottle they had was beyond repair. So, they prayed for the baby and for her little sister who was now an orphan. One of the girls responded, “Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late. And dear Lord, send a doll for her sister so she won’t feel so lonely.”
That afternoon a parcel arrived from England and the children watched as they opened it. To their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed dug deeper into the parcel. She was sure God would provide the doll she prayed for. And she was right! The Heavenly Father knew of the child’s faith. Five months before that morning prayer, he had led a women’s church group to include both of those specific items.
Simon Guillebaud, More Than Conquerors: A Call to Radical Discipleship (Monarch, 2010), p. 80
In Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching on prayer. It is one of the places we find “The Lord’s Prayer.” In the previous verses, He gives guidance on the do’s and don’ts of prayer. One of the don’ts He emphasizes is “do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do” (Matthew 6:7). Why? Because “your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (vs. 8). It makes perfect sense that the answer is put into motion months, years, or more before we even ask! But He wants us to ask. In the next chapter, Jesus says, “For everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8).
But there are those times when we don’t know exactly how or what to ask. It’s one thing to answer prayer before we ask, but can God answer prayer we don’t know how to pray? He has that one covered too. In Romans 8, Paul writes: “…the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Some have mistakenly interpreted this as having to do with speaking in tongues. No, it is the Spirit (not us) doing the groaning (not speaking words) as He intercedes (appeals to the Father) on our behalf. When, because of our inherent weakness, we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit steps in because “…all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).
God has done so much to encourage and provide for our prayer lives. He has spoken to us through His Word and lovingly invited us to talk to Him. It is more than rude to respond with silence. As pastor and author Timothy Keller wrote: “To fail to pray, then, is not to merely break some religious rule—it is a failure to treat God as God.” (Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God).
If we know Christ, there is no excuse not to pray. He will answer in ways we expect and don’t expect, even when we don’t know how to pray. He’s always listening as we are all invited to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He’s provided all we need for a healthy prayer life. He’s done His part. Now let’s pray.
“It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” —Isaiah 65:24