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Our Holy Spirit Saturation Limit

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In a previous post, I mentioned that the disciples were told by God to wait (a difficult thing to do) for something fantastic: the gift of the Holy Spirit. It was a gift that Jesus had previously promised, and then reminded them about before He ascended into Heaven. “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). What an interesting way to explain the gift. It wasn’t simply a promise that the Holy Spirit would be near, or would appear, the promise was that they would soon be baptized with the Spirit!

But what exactly does “baptized with the Spirit” mean? A popular explanation today is that it means that they were “filled with the Spirit.” This may be part of the answer, but our modern definition makes it incomplete. Jesus compared this gift with John’s baptism. So, when John baptized, did he fill people with water? No, of course not! Rather they were immersed in the water. They were surrounded in it, buried in it (see Ephesians 6:4). Likewise, this gift—which the disciples were waiting for in anticipation—was a total immersion in the Holy Spirit! They would be totally saturated with the Spirit of God! What a gift!

You see, they knew the significance of this gift. The disciples had seen the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated in Jesus’ life. Then, Jesus’ last words to them, before ascending into the clouds, were “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” (Acts 1:8–emphasis mine).

This was not just any power. We get a better idea of it from the original Greek: dunamis. It is where we get the English word “dynamite.” This is the power that is always associated with the Holy Spirit. It is explosive power; Life-altering, Supernatural power. It is the power that heals the sick, feeds 5000, and raises the dead. It is the power that changed their lives. It is the power and authority that comes directly from the throne of God. It was this dynamite “power” that was coming with the Holy Spirit.

And boy did it come! Acts 2:1–4 says the Holy Spirit came upon them. They begin to preach and speak in tongues and, according to verse 41, 3000 people believed and were baptized that day! Throughout the book of Acts we are shown the results of the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the book should be called the Acts of the Spirit! The source of the power behind every story in Acts is God’s Spirit—a gift that changed the world.

If you are like me, you probably read the book of Acts and wish you could have witnessed it. You may even think, lucky disciples! Lately, I find myself thinking, “Why don’t I see these things today?” Or a question I do not like to ask, “Why isn’t this power evident in my life?”

Some suggest that it was only promised to the Apostles, but I don’t believe so. Just read the amazing prophecy in Joel 2:28, 29. It says that God will pour out His Spirit on all people—young or old, man or woman. And verses 30–32 clarify that this will happen in the last days—the days before the coming of Christ—for the purpose of saving people. The prophecy began its fulfillment that great day with the Apostles (Acts 2:16–21), but it didn’t end there. The great and dreadful day of the Lord has not come yet. God still desires to pour out His Spirit!

Furthermore, it is not a gift that God grudgingly gives us, or one that He’s trying to keep a secret. Luke 11:13 says, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” In other words, God is simply waiting for you to ask Him for the gift. He can’t wait to give you His Spirit!

He’s not stingy with the Spirit either. John 3:34 says that He gives the Holy Spirit “without limit.” This is why He uses words like “pour out,” “saturate,” and “baptize.” You see, it’s not the Holy Spirit that is in limited supply, it is our saturation point that is limited! God still desires to immerse us, saturate us, with His Spirit and He will give us as much as we can handle. That is, of course, if we want it.

That’s the real question isn’t it? Do we really want the gift of the Holy Spirit? I fear that many today do not.

Some believe that the power of the Spirit is no longer necessary. The disciples needed it then, but today we have better technology. They had to speak in various tongues, and only in one place. Today, we can be translated in hundreds of languages, all over the world, at the same time! It’s as if Jesus only gave the Spirit to the disciples because smart-phones and computers and google didn’t exist yet. Is that all the gift of the Spirit is, a fill-in until Apple was invented? I say we need the power of the Holy Spirit now more than ever!

Worse yet, I believe that there are many who are simply afraid of receiving the Spirit. The Spirit will change your life—there’s no way around that—and some do not wish to change. Think about it: why would a person who is comfortable in their life desire a power that will alter that life? Also, though Spirit gives us the power to finish the work, some do not want to work. The book of Acts can be quite scary to the person who enjoys warming the pews. There’s a lot of work to be done, and it can only be done by the Spirit, but few today want to do the work.

There’s the modern Christian’s dilemma: we know we are supposed to want the Holy Spirit, but we are afraid of, or do not want, the responsibilities or the changes that come with the Spirit. Even though God desires to saturate us with His Spirit, we are so full of everything else that we are already at our saturation limit. For the Spirit cannot fill a life that is already filled with the world.

These days, people talk about waiting for the “Latter Rain”—the great outpouring of God’s Spirit. I have learned that ground that is not used to getting wet will not receive the downpour when it finally comes. The water simply washes away. What good will the later rain be for us if we are resistant to receiving the Spirit now?

God has promised to pour out His Spirit on all who believe—to provide power for the salvation of souls, and to guarantee eternal life. He desires to liberally saturate us with His Spirit right now if we’ll just ask. Afraid you won’t hold enough? Don’t worry. Even a little drop of the Spirit is more powerful than you can imagine. So, why wait?

Why Is Unity Among Christians So Difficult?

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Okay. I need to admit something from the start: I woke up this morning tired. It has been a long couple of weeks and I’m exhausted. But it is more than that. I’m tired of all the arguments I have read and heard between professed Christians lately. I’m not tired because people can’t agree, but because it doesn’t seem like many Christians today can disagree in a nice way. Christians can be down-right mean—especially toward each other—and it is making me tired, and sad.

One might think that Christian disagreements arise because one side isn’t reading their Bibles and the other side is. Yet, in many cases, arguments on both sides of an issue often claim the Bible as their main source of authority. One such case, plaguing my denomination right now, illustrates this. Members on one side of the issue use Scripture to support their cause and declare that those who oppose their views are simply using modern culture as their foundation. Interestingly, it is exactly the same argument their opposing side uses against them! How can this be? Can the Bible really support both sides of an argument? How can cultural ideas be the foundation of both sides of an argument, yet be different?

The majority of these conflicts appear when a topic does not have a clear “Thou shalt” in the Bible. Whenever anything having to do with the church cannot be clearly seen in scripture, we have the tendency to come to different interpretations. But is it wrong to see things differently? Is it bad if we do not agree on everything?

In my studies in Scripture, I have not found one passage that says that God’s people would always agree on everything (I may have missed it—if so, please direct me to the passage). Instead, I have found several stories that show disagreements between the people who follow God. In most of these disagreements, however, His people were able to remain united.

I believe this is our real problem: we don’t seem to be able to disagree and stay united. Of course, too often we view doctrinal agreement as equal to being united. Again, in my experience, this is rarely true. I have, on some occasions, experienced a strong unity with people who believe differently than me, while on other occasions, I felt a lack of unity with people who claim to believe the same as me. Yet, some suggest that certain topics are so important that we must agree on them to remain unified. But which topics meet this inconsistent level of importance?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take a very important issue to cause division. How many churches have been split over the color of new carpet? A church can have heated arguments, and almost split, over the position of the piano—on the right or the left of the pulpit? Surely carpet colors and piano positions must be of great importance. What about diet? Music maybe—that’s a really nice hot potato. Oh, wait. I know. How about women and their ability to be ordained? If anything, one of these has to be the topic that is vital enough to unite us or, as far as I can tell, justify a lack of unity.

Wrong. No doctrine, regardless of how much we may value it, is supposed to be what unites us. Likewise, no topic, regardless of how much we may disagree with it, should divide us. Doctrines were not meant to be the deciding factor of our oneness. Actually, quite the opposite: divisions simply based on religious beliefs are called factions in the Bible, and are listed among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19–21. This is the list that is in opposition to the Fruit of the Spirit: love, patience, long-suffering, etc. According to scripture, divisions among fellow believers are not the result of God’s Spirit in our lives. Actually, it appears to be the result of a lack of God’s Spirit in our lives.

You see, according to Jesus, there is only source of true unity: being in Him and the Father (John 17:21–23). It was His prayer that His followers would be one; that we might be unified. He did not say that our unity would be through agreement on beliefs (or, more realistically, agreement on opinions), but that our unity would be based on the fact that we walk with Him. Basically, Jesus is saying that those who hold on to Him, those who are in Him, will find themselves united to each other as well.

Think about Jesus’ illustration of the vine and the branches in John 15: what makes the branches united? It’s their connection to the Vine. This connection is what really matters. This is what will bring true unity among the believers.

So why are we still arguing amongst ourselves instead of spreading the gospel, and whining when we don’t get our way, and purposely causing divisions among our fellow believers? Why does unity seem so difficult? It is because we are trying to use our own methods to become unified. Unfortunately, all we do is further fragment Christianity. We are only forming more doctrinal cliques. Maybe that is all we really want. Maybe we don’t truly want to be one in Christ. Maybe all we want is to be right in the eyes of others in our group. I pray that this is not so. If it is, our Adversary has already defeated us.

This is not a call to doctrinal uniformity—I’m not suggesting that we run back to some centralized, mother church—nor I am suggesting that we cease standing up for our beliefs. I am only suggesting that we find unity amongst ourselves in our mutual love for our Savior; that we embrace each other in Christ. So many people with so many different beliefs and opinions may never completely agree, but we can be one like the Father and the Son are one.

If anything, we are truly united in this one fact: we are all sinners and we have the same Savior. Let us hold on tight to this gospel truth! Without this truth, everything else is meaningless anyway.

When God Says Wait

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If you have been a follower of God for any length of time, you know that God doesn’t always do things in a way we normally expect. God, in fact, is quite unpredictable. Of course, this has more to do with our expectations of His behavior than how predictable His actions really are. Think about it: when we pray we normally only listen for a “yes” or “no” answer. When we are listening for instructions for ministry—or some other thing we might be seeking God’s will in our lives for—we are typically looking for a green light or a red light. Yet, God doesn’t always work in the black and white. Sometimes He says wait—not yes or no, not go or stop—just wait.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

I don’t know if there is any word I like less than that. Wait. It can be such a frustrating word. When you are watching the clock for a loved one to finally arrive, “wait” can be frustrating. As children, I think we experience this side of the word the most. Nothing was worse than waiting. I remember having to wait in the car for my mom to finish saying goodbye to friends—waiting that seemed forever!

On the other hand, that word can save a lot of grief. Like waiting until you research something thoroughly before you buy into it. How many times I have heard, or even said, “I wish I had waited.” Waiting isn’t always bad.

It makes me think of a time in the Bible when some people had to wait on God. Well, the Bible is filled with such stories, but the one I am considering is the one told at the beginning of the book of Acts. The disciples were all gathered together in one place. This time the atmosphere was different from their earlier gatherings, they weren’t gathered in fear. Time had passed and things were different. Before, sadness and horror filled their hearts as they witnessed the murder of their master. Now, joy and peace engulfed them. Their Master was no longer dead! He is alive! Jesus is alive! Their joy was unspeakable!

After spending a little over a month with Him, they witnessed a miraculous event—Jesus’ ascension into heaven. It was so awesome that angels had to snap them from their staring and remind them that this same Jesus was going to come back in the very same way. But now they had work to do: take this wonderful news of a risen Savior to the world. Not long before, Jesus had given them (and us) a great commission to make disciples, baptizing and teaching them (Matthew 28:18–20). They were told to go into the whole world. What a better place to start than a packed Jerusalem?

That was the reason they are gathered together. Being Pentecost, you might think that they would have started preaching and holding evangelistic meetings already. What an opportunity! So many people gathered in Jerusalem for the sacred festival. But there they were, gathered in a room, hidden from the crowds. Some may consider them lazy, or waiting for better training, or that they were just trying to get out of something that they didn’t really want to do.

But, believe it or not, they were actually following Jesus’ command. Yes, Jesus had told them to go out into the world, but just few days earlier He had told them to wait (Acts 1:4). Strange isn’t it? But it wasn’t just waiting for waiting’s sake. They were to “wait for the gift my Father promised.” Reading on in Acts 4, you will see that this gift was the Holy Spirit. They were waiting for the gift that would give them the ability, the power, and the courage to do what God asked of them.

I wonder what would have happened if they hadn’t waited… like us. Modern Christians don’t seem to like to wait. That upper room was filled with disciples waiting deep in prayer before it became filled with the Holy Spirit. When’s the last time you saw a group of Christians today wait in prayer until God says “go”?

Oh we pray. Many times, even. I have been guilty of this on countless occasions. We’ll say a quick prayer, then run ahead of God using our brain power in an attempt to figure out God’s plans. We hold way more committee meetings than we do prayer meetings. Some think that just sitting around and praying is a waste of time. I’d argue that, according to far too many stories in the Bible, running ahead of God is the real waste of time. In fact, waiting on God in prayer is the best use of time a Christian could do! God may have something incredible in store for us if we would only wait.

King David seemed to also know a lot about this waiting and learned to like it. Notice some of the things he wrote in the Psalms:

  • “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14);
  • “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man that carries out evil devices! … For the evil doers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the land” (Psalm 37:7, 9);
  • “But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer” (Psalm 38:15);
  • “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1);
  • “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:5).

The scriptures reveal that the people of God learn that it is not a bad thing when God says wait. Isaiah 40:31 says, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Waiting on God is a good thing. As a matter of fact, “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9). On that great day, every disciple—every follower of God that has been willing to wait on Him—will confess these words and will know that it was completely worth it!

The Problem With Worship

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For as many churches as there are in any given place, there are as many styles of worship. Two churches of the same denomination in the same city, even only miles apart, may have vastly different approaches to worship. Naturally, each church feels that their style is the correct one. It hasn’t always been this way; it is a more modern issue. It’s an issue that reflects a lot of what is also wrong with modern Christianity.

Of course, when the topic of worship is brought up people become defensive and sometimes argumentative. We often rally behind our favorite style. In my ministry, I have found people who feel that worship should be filled with more music and singing, and less preaching. I have also met people who wished there were more preaching and teaching and less music—some wishing there were no music at all. I’ve heard disagreements on what topics should be preached, how long a sermon should be, and how much Bible should be used.

Also, if you have ever discussed worship with someone, music is bound to come up. And again, there are many views. Some wish only the good-ol’ hymns were sung and others wish they only sang modern praise songs. One group will suggest that the only holy instrument is the organ (the piano may sometimes be accepted, but with caution), while another group demands that any, and every, instrument should be played (including the cow bell). For one person, music with any kind of beat is demonic, and for another person, praise isn’t praise unless you can barely hear yourself singing.

Yes, there is a definite problem with worship today. Some argue that it’s the music. Some insist that it’s the poor preaching. Some will claim that it’s the time or the length of the service that’s the problem. I would like to suggest that none of these issues are the real problem with modern worship. As I have observed, and through my studies in God’s Word, I believe that the real problem with modern worship is us.

You see, the problem isn’t in any of the things mentioned above, the problem is that we have the audience all wrong. We have come to think of the worship service as this: God is the director, the Pastor and other worship leaders are the performers, and the congregation is the audience. That’s the problem! Modern worship has become all about us, when it should be all about God. In true worship, God is the audience and we are the performers. Worship is supposed to be about us giving praise and honor and glory to our God. It is not an hour long Christian variety show. Yet, this is often how we approach worship.

One of the greatest indications of this problem is found in the very desire we often speak: “I hope I get a blessing out of worship today.” We want to be blessed. We want to leave feeling better. Of course! That’s why we go to church. But we won’t admit that we also want to be entertained and we want to be thrilled. When these don’t happen, we feel don’t feel like we have worshipped. I find it interesting that the number one reason I’m given for why a person feels like they have really worshipped is because the praise songs were so good. Occasionally, someone will say they have worshipped because the speaker was really good… or funny… or not long-winded.

We feel good when we have a good worship experience, and it’s supposed to work that way. But too often, a “good worship experience” for us can be narrowed down to pleasant music and/ or a good sermon. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what God thinks of our worship.

In Isaiah 29:13 God says, “this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.” This is just lip-service. The heart isn’t in it. Evidently, we can come to worship and sing and preach all the right words, yet still not be worshipping God. Of course, once worship becomes about us, we’re not worshipping God anyway.

Worse still, according to Isaiah 1:13, 14, God can even despise our worship. He says, “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them” [emphasis mine]. It is noteworthy to point out that everything God mentioned was originally His idea—He established the festivals and the offerings and sacred assemblies. Unfortunately, Israel made them theirs. Worship became about them, not God, and He couldn’t stand it. How horrible would it be to hear God say this about my, or your, worship!

For as much as we dispute about the appropriateness of our worship, I don’t think we ever consider what God might think of it. Most often, our disputes arise out of personal taste. Granted, we often attribute our tastes to God—if we like something, God must like it too; if we dislike something, God must dislike it as well. We are so foolish! How dare we, the created, even suggest that we know what the Creator likes and dislikes! Have you seen the music playlist on His computer? I know I haven’t. What I do know, though, is that “what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). So maybe, just maybe, we are not the best to decide what God likes and dislikes. In addition, like many other things in the Bible, God cares more about the why than the what. God desires that we come to worship to draw near Him. He wants to be the target of our worship.

Understand, though, that worship that comes from the hearts of so many different people will result in many different styles—all which are completely acceptable to God. This acceptable kind of worship may not be filled with all the latest songs—or the top ten greatest hymns—and it may not be filled with the most dynamic sermon you have ever heard, but it will be filled with “reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). Which doesn’t mean simply being silent, by the way, but is directed at your attitude towards the One you are worshipping.

The problem with modern worship is that it is no longer about God. The praise songs may mention Him, but are we there to truly honor and praise Him with those songs? The sermon may bring Him up, but are we there to fully listen to God speak to our hearts and then obey? Are we going to church to catch up on the latest Christian gossi… uh… news, or are we there to enter into the presence of the Creator of the Universe? Are we there to just get a blessing, or to focus on and worship the God of blessings? What are the real motives behind our worship?

These are tough questions, but we need to ask them, because we desperately need to get back to true worship—truly acceptable worship that is completely focused on God. For without the right focus, our worship will always be unacceptable to God, regardless of its style.

Thoughts on Prayer, Part 2: Can we do it wrong?

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The Bible is pretty clear that prayer is a vital part in building our relationship with God. Since it is our incredible opportunity to communicate with our God, and it is so important, one has to wonder if there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.

I will start by suggesting that saying a prayer is already a good start! Too many people are afraid of doing it wrong so they don’t do it at all. Or sometimes, after hearing someone else pray, they may feel that their own prayer is now insufficient and will refuse to pray afterwards. The sad thing is that whenever we feel that our prayers are inadequate too often we’ll stop praying altogether.

If there were a right way or wrong way to pray, I can assure you that you will not discover which is which by watching other people. Our perspective is always faulty. Just think about Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector praying in the Temple (Luke 18:10–14). According to the culture of the time, the proper way to pray was to stand with your hands raised to heaven (it may not have been the only proper way to pray, but it was definitely viewed as acceptable). In addition, since the Pharisees were the models of righteous living, however they prayed would have been considered the correct way. Yet Jesus said that the Pharisee did not go home justified. Or in other words, his prayers were not accepted. It wasn’t the posture or position, but the attitude that made the difference.

God desires for us to call on His name. So it is strange to think that there might be prayers He does not approve of. It is easy for us to quickly respond, “No! Every prayer is a good prayer.” Yet, if we really believed this, then why would we fear that our prayers might not be good enough.

If there is a wrong way to pray, the Bible would tell us. And, actually, there is a place where Jesus talks about how not to pray. Yes, you read that right. Jesus tells us, if you will, how we can do it wrong. Of all the places in the Bible that talk about prayer, this is the only place I’ve found that directly mentions incorrect prayers (other than the parable I mentioned above). This discussion is found as part of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6.

In this part of His teaching, Jesus presents to us two “do nots.” The first one (Matthew 6:5, 6) says that we should not pray so that men can see us. In other words, the purpose of prayer is not to impress other people. So, if the whole reason you pray, or the way you pray, is so that others might view you as being more holy, then you are praying wrong.

Instead, we are counseled to pray in a way, or a place, that helps us focus on God and God alone. Prayer is about communication with Him; it has nothing to do with how man views our prayer. The problem we have with this concept is that we are not able to tell if another person’s prayers are done right or wrong. This is because it deals with motives rather than specific postures or words, and like it or not, we cannot know another person’s motives. You can only know your own motives. So, whether or not you know all the words to say—or whether you are sitting, kneeling, or standing—what really matters, according to Jesus, is if the purpose of your prayers is to communicate to God or to impress men.

The second “do not” (Matthew 6:7, 8), says that we are not to babble, or as the English Standard Version translates it, “heap up empty phrases.” Basically, Jesus is saying that we shouldn’t pray meaningless words and do not need to use many words in an attempt to convince God. He knows what we need before we even pray! A great example of this is the confrontation on Mt Carmel between Elijah and the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:20–39). In this story, the priests of Baal beg their “gods” for hours on end, pleading to them to hear their prayers. This was typical of the heathens/ pagans. But when it was Elijah’s turn, he said a simple prayer and God answered.

There are two ideas here. First, God doesn’t ask us, or even want us, to beg Him. He wants us to ask, yes, but beg, no. He’s not stubbornly holding out good things from us until we can convince Him that we should have it. He desires to give us good things and is waiting for us to ask. There is a passage in Scripture that encourages us to be persistent (Luke 18:1–8: the parable of the widow and the judge), but persistence is not about begging, it is about not giving up.

The second idea is that empty words are simply that: empty. God doesn’t want just words, He wants our heart’s desire. Memorized prayers (even the Lord’s prayer) do not impress God anymore than memorizing a conversation (and repeating it over and over) would impress a friend or loved one. God wants us to pour out our hearts in prayer to Him, not our knowledge.

If you read further in Matthew 6, you will find the example prayer Jesus gave (verses 9–13). Again, Jesus just finished saying, “don’t use empty phrases,” so this prayer was not given to us so we would memorize it and spew out anytime we want to add a little “holiness” to our other prayers. Instead, Jesus is explaining how a simple prayer would sound. It is the opposite of the babbling of the pagans. Our prayers should be simple. This does not mean short, necessarily—Jesus spent all night in prayer sometimes—it means to the point. His example prayer contains different parts: glorifying God, desiring God’s will be done in your life, presenting personal requests, confession and asking for forgiveness, and requesting spiritual protection and guidance. Each is simple and to the point.

Again, it is not about our words, it is about our motives. It always is. God cares more about why we do things than the things we do themselves. We should stop worrying about whether or not our words are good enough—which, by the way, will never will be. But we have a promise in that category: “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). What an incredible promise!

So, don’t worry about your words, just pour out your heart. Make prayer about you and God. Make it simple and to the point. Don’t care what others may think of your prayers—every heartfelt prayer is beautiful to God—just pray!

Thoughts on Prayer, Part 1: Why we do it

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Prayer is such an interesting thing. It is something so vital to our spiritual life, yet it can easily become misunderstood or misused. Some believe that prayer is only for major requests—as if God only has time to listen if the request is large enough—and it is needless, or pointless, for any other occasion. Others use prayer as if it is a direct-to-order request line to God—as if they are simply writing a letter to Santa Claus. The only time they will talk to God is if they need something. Then there are those who treat prayer as if it is their status on Facebook, or their latest tweet: it is simply a moment to moment update on their lives to God—as if we are God’s CNN.

I’ve found myself thinking each of those ways at times. Yet, from what I read in the Bible, God is not too busy, nor is He so uninterested, that He refuses to listen to the smaller issues of our lives. Of course, God is not a vending machine either that we call on Him only when we are needy. Furthermore, God isn’t in need of a play-by-play report of our day—He knows what’s going on in our lives better that we do!

So I want to devote the next few blogs on prayer—why we do it, how we do it, what we should pray for, and things like that.

We will start with the most important of those questions: why do we pray? If we don’t understand why we pray, we most likely won’t pray and if we do pray without understanding why, we’ll approach prayer incorrectly (like the above situations).

I think the greatest reason for us to pray is because God listens to us when we do. Deuteronomy 4:7 says that God draws near to us when we pray. Like a parent kneeling down to better hear their child, God leans in to hear us better. God is so interested in what we have to say to Him that He comes down to our level to hear us! How amazing is that? We don’t have to beg or plead or even bribe our God to listen to our prayers, He actually wants to hear them already! God says “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you” (Jeremiah 29:12). In the very next verse, God also says that if we will seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him. He’s not trying to hide from us, but we also have to want to find Him. So we pray!

In addition, God hears our prayers regardless of where we are in life. We are told in Psalm 102:17 that God listens to the prayer of the destitute—those who have nothing and bring nothing to the table—and “does not despise their prayer.” I love that part. God does not groan when He looks down at the prayer caller ID and sees our name. God does not get frustrated when we call on His name frequently (actually He delights in that!). Our God is a God who loves to talk to His children. Our lack of resources, or abundance or troubles, do not make Him less likely to listen. So we pray!

If being willing to listen to us wasn’t already reason enough to talk to God in prayer, the Bible also says that God desires to answer our prayers and give us what we ask for (Luke 11:13). Like parents giving good gifts to their children, God desires to give us good things. This does not mean that every request is automatically granted—God’s not a genie in a bottle—but that God will not withhold from us those things we ask for that are good for us. John puts it this way: we can have confidence knowing that God hears and answers our prayers that are asked according to His will (1 John 5:14, 15). Of course, when we pray for something we also need to trust God. Prayer mingled with faith makes nothing impossible (Mark 11:22–24). Granted, God sometimes allows us to have things we pray for that are not good for us (like Israel’s request for a king), much like a parent will allow their children to “learn the hard way.” God also answers with “wait.” Sometimes God desires to give us what we ask for, and what we ask for is according to His will, but the timing is not right. So we have faith, pray, and wait—accepting whatever answer He gives.

Of course, one of my favorite passages of scripture on prayer which pulls this all together, is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” What an amazing promise! Prayer is meant to change us. It is meant to draw us closer to God. If we pray, He will hear. If we seek Him, He will forgive. If we repent, He will heal us.

This is what we can expect from prayer. This is why we pray. It is not meant to be simply a request line or an information network; it is our way to communicate with our God—the One who desires to listen to us and answer our prayers. Through prayer we can get to know our God more. And this is what we will learn about Him: He always has time to hear us, He’s always willing to listen, and He’s ready and willing to answer our prayers and bless us. Why would we not pray?