If we believe what we say we believe about prayer, it changes everything.

One of my favorite things to do is say “Yes” to my kids.

If you’re a parent or if you’ve ever been around kids, you know how this works.  Kids ask for a thousand things.  And more often than not, the answer is no.  Here lately our family has been in a bit of transition.  One of the funny things is that we’ve had on what we call “real tv.”  Basically, this means letting the kids watch live tv.  This doesn’t often happen in our house.  Most of the time when our kids get to watch tv they are either watching a DVD or watching something off the DVR that we’ve pre-recorded so we can skip past the commercials.

Our youngest, Emma, is loving real tv because she is getting to watch all the commercials!  And those advertisers on the Disney channel know exactly what they’re doing!  During every commercial break you can hear the same phrase on repeat from the tv room.  “I want that!”  “Can you get that for my birthday?” (Which is 6 months away!)

In an effort to be good parents we probably say no a lot more than we say yes.  Our kids still have more than they need!  But having said that, there’s nothing more fun than getting to say “Yes” to your kids.

I love to walk into a store and telling them they can pick out something they want.  I love the smile on their face.  The joy in their searching.  The smiles as they pick out what they can’t wait to have.  As a father, it’s just fun.

I don’t know why, but for some reason this is not the picture most of us have of God.  For many, we quickly a picture a God who says “No” way more often than He says “Yes”.

But our God is a good Father.

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Jesus was once teaching about prayer & He said this about our God.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?  Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
Matthew 7.7-11

I think sometimes God has gotten a bad wrap.  That could be true for a lot of reasons.

Maybe you feel like you have been burned by God.  Maybe you feel like God is distant.  Busy.  Unaware or uninterested.  Maybe you prayed for something, something really important, & it seemed like those words fell on deaf ears.  We’ve certainly all experienced moments in prayer or life where we needed God & for whatever reason we felt alone.

But if we believe what we say we believe about prayer, it literally changes everything.  If we believe what Jesus says about prayer, it changes everything.

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I certainly don’t know or understand the full manifest will of God.  I don’t pretend to know how He works, when He works, or why He works the way He works when He works.  But I do know this: God is perfect in His love for you.  He is present when you pray.  He is a good Father & Jesus has said that if you in all your weakness & imperfections know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more able, capable, willing & ready is your Perfect Father ready to give you whatever you need?

Here’s what I would challenge you to do… take time to pray today.
God isn’t a genie in a bottle waiting to grant your every wish. He’s way better than that. He’s your perfect Father. Waiting to bless you at every turn. And He wants to hear from you.  So tell Him what’s on your heart.  Tell Him what you need.  Write it down somewhere.  To often we pray & forget what we prayed for.  But when you write it down you can come back a week later, a month later, or a year later & see how God, your Perfect Father, worked everything together for your good & His ultimate glory.

When is the last time you prayed?  Take time to pray today.