Tim Morrow

Have you ever noticed how much of our prayer life as Christians revolves around asking? I see it in “prayer needs” or “requests” given to the church weekly. Primarily it is asking God to answer our needs. While there is certainly nothing wrong with asking God to help and answer our prayers, it should not be the main component of our prayer. Could you imagine (perhaps some can) if the only time your child talked to you is when they wanted something from you? How would you feel about that? I’m fairly certain God would like more from us in our prayer life than merely seeing him as a provider of things. 

 Here is something to consider. What if we focused during our prayer time more on asking God to help us live according to his will as we do asking him to provide for our needs? What if your child came more often than not asking if they could help you, do something for you or tell you how much they love and appreciate you? This would not only make the relationship more meaningful, it would actually help the child realize his/her priorities.  

Saying all that, there is actually a template for this. It’s called the “Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13). I am not going to comment on the entirety of this familiar prayer but show us one important aspect. Jesus directs us that before we ask the Lord for “bread” (provision), to first ask that God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Very simply put, Jesus says that before we ask for provision, we should ask that our lives align to God’s will. When we do this, it actually changes how we ask, and more importantly what we ask for. In other words, it gets our priorities in the right alignment. Lord help me today … 

 (Tim Morrow is the pastor at New Life Church of Powell.)