Going Deeper Part III: Time in Prayer

“Ask, and the gift is yours. Seek, and you’ll discover. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.  For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.” Matt. 7:7-8 TPT

I think I accidentally sat in the hot spot at the local coffee shop today.  I was curled up on the couch pounding away on my laptop and unintentionally sat across from the Chattiest Cathy that I have ever heard. Ever. There was not a thing in her conversation that I was not involuntarily privy to. Literally. I don’t know how she packed as many sentences as she did into each breath or if she breathed at all.  But I do know I never once heard her pause to listen. It was like someone hit “play” and she just live-streamed her conscious thoughts for all to listen. We all knew everything she was thinking including the fact that she’s annoyed with someone at work because “all they do is talk.” Ahem, Cathy. 

That’s when it hit me. 

Her conversation, wasn’t a conversation at all. Conversation involves give and take. Soaking in someone’s presence. Talking and listening. Input and output. Chattiest Cathy wasn’t doing any of that. She was all give, talk and output. But it got me thinking, don’t we often treat prayer and conversation with God the same way? I know I do. I come to vent, let it fly and decompress. (There is totally a time and place for that, just not ONLY that.) If we forget that there is another side, another perspective another person involved in WHO we’re conversing with, we’ve lost the plot all-together.  

If we want to get to know God more, and go deeper there has to be a give and take on our part when we’re praying. We don’t want to look at prayer like a one-way download, but an intimate conversation that we’re given an open invitation to dialogue in. 

There’s a few things that we know about prayer including that it takes many, MANY forms:

Sometimes prayer is a vent session

Sometimes we need to deal with shame and be bold, taking our identity in Christ seriously

Sometimes we need to ask, seek and knock. Prayer invites us to petition until we see change, or God changes us in the process

And sometimes  we pray on behalf of God’s people to see him move, work, deliver or cause change in individuals, cities and nations

Prayer is BEAUTIFUL for all of those things but there’s still something we can’t forget: If we really want to get to know God better, and go deeper…. then we need to pray to know God better. Approach prayer recognizing there is a  component of conversation that is involved. It can be as simple as this:

“God I want know your heart, your character, your nature and your ways in every area of my life. Please, reveal yourself to me today” 

If we are talking and listening we hear God’s heart. If we are seeking we are giving room and space for our mindsets, positions and mentalities to change as we pray. If we are persistent we will see real and lasting change from our prayers. If we are are conversing, we aren’t just rambling, babbling and filling space like Chattiest Cathy. We are creating time, space and breath for God to speak, move, and align or realign us with his voice, his desires and his heart. 

When we pray this way, it brings an entirely different approach to the discipline of prayer. We aren’t just barging in on a situation but, we are inviting God’s perspective. We pray asking him to lead. We pray joining with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We acknowledge our lack and God’s abundance and we align with it in order to pull down the power, goodness, faithfulness and kindness of God into the situation we are praying about. 

How we approach conversation changes because it’s not about us, but about who we’re with. It becomes a time where we are in communion, and our prayers reflect that they come from a place of who we are communing with, not just pushing or petitioning. 

The craziest thing happened after Chattiest Cathy left. Two women sat down for a conversation, in the exact same spot. (I was casually observing, not stalking- promise!) The vibe off of these girls was totally different. They greeted each other warmly. They put any distractions (all their tech) away immediately and hunkered down for a good conversation. They laughed, sipped and chatted to their hearts content. The ambiance of friendship and encouragement was palpable, I couldn’t believe the difference! The first conversation wasn’t even a conversation, and the second was the epitome of it. 

So the question begs a response friend- what do you want your prayer life to look like? Are you looking at prayer as a one-man show, or as a rich and meaningful two-way conversation? The invitation has been set: you can chat away by yourself or commune with God. The choice is ours but lets be honest guys, Chattiest Cathy has got to go! 

Much love,

Joy