Have you spent any time around boats? I have no doubt at some point in time you have seen a boat tied up to a dock. A row boat, a ski boat, a yacht or a cruise ship all use lines to tie up to a dock. Bigger boats just have bigger lines.
There is actually a system by which you tie a larger boat to a dock, which I recently learned on my yacht piloting course. When bringing a mid-sized boat into dock, the key line to get around the dock cleat is the stern line. Once the stern line is around the cleat the pilot of the boat can easily bring the bow of the boat alongside the dock.
The point of any dock line on a boat is to pull the boat toward the dock and hold it secure to the dock. When you put a line around a cleat on the dock you never expect to pull the dock closer to the boat, you pull the boat closer to the dock. The dock is fixed and unwavering, and if the boat is not tied to it then the boat will drift with the current and ultimately end up in harm’s way.
This is a picture of prayer: prayer pulls us closer to the Lord. Prayer does not pull Him closer to us, it pulls us closer to Him.
Let’s define prayer. Prayer is talking with God; communing with God, communicating with God. Prayer is really all about relationship with God.
Sadly though, we often through prayer treat God like a vending machine and try to pull Him closer to us. “Lord, please give me more peace.” “Please provide that job.” “Lord, please give me hope…faith…strength…freedom…”, etc. Like with a vending machine we hope that if we press the right buttons we will get what we want.
We need to see prayer as a means to draw near to God, to talk with Him and commune with Him. The true gift of prayer is God Himself: to hear Him, to see Him, to feel Him, to know Him…to love Him.
Sure, the Lord knows we have needs – He knows what they are before we even pray. What He wants is our hearts. He wants us to desire Him above all things; not to simply want Him for what He can do for us, but for who He is. He wants us to seek His face, not just His hand.
How would your wife feel about you if every time you talked with her you were asking for something…
“Hi honey. I love you. Can you please go to the store and get some groceries, and then get the laundry done for tomorrow. I’d like some clean sheets on the bed too please. And if you could clean up the house that would be great. Thank you. I love you. Amen.”
I know for a fact I would not enjoy a good relationship with my wife if that was how I communicated with her.
True friendship is not one-sided. It is two people giving to each other and enjoying each other’s company.
Prayer is not about getting what we want from God, it’s about getting God. And, the miracle of prayer is that the Lord enables us to participate with Him in His purposes as well. He encourages us to ask for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Prayer is not meant to be a one-sided conversation. The Lord speaks to us. The Lord’s voice is like a radio frequency, we have to attune our hearts to hear Him clearly. The Lord speaks to us in myriad ways if we will listen: in silence, in creation, in scripture, through people, and through music, movies, pictures, art, words, trials and countless other ways if we will listen for Him.
Prayer draws us closer to the Lord. Prayer is talking with God, communing with Him, enjoying relationship with Him, discovering His heart and aligning our heart with His.
Why pray? Prayer connects us with God Himself. He is the true benefit of prayer.
Psalm 25:14
“The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”
Psalm 73:28
“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”
Ephesians 6:18
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Matthew 6:6-8
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”