When Prayer Became Active

Why do we pray? Is prayer unnecessary? If the God of the universe knows our hearts, why do we need to voice them to Him? If you are like me, you may have struggled/are struggling with these very questions. The practice of prayer was made important in my heart when I read two verses in Psalm. Prayer was given a clarity I had never experienced before.

The verses say, “Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him” (Psalm 28: 6-7 ESV).

From these verses, I see a model of active prayer:

1.     Plea

Plea, according to Merriam Webster, is defined as “an earnest entreaty” David appealed to God earlier in Psalms: “Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary” (Psalm 28:2 ESV; emphasis added). Consider the emotion and passion in his plea as he cries out to the Lord with a loud voice and lifts up his hands. The reason I believe God desires our requests be made with such resolve is because it demonstrates trust. We express our deepest emotions with the people we trust. Our increased dependence on Him will cause us to desire to walk in His way.

2.     Expectation

There are a couple of different ways we respond after pleading to God. We may consider our urgent prayer a “one and done” situation. We may continue to pray for the same thing we’ve already left at God’s throne. We may start to act with our own wisdom. Based on verse 7, I see our next step to be listening for God’s help. We should bring expectancy that God will work and give us next steps. I can trust in Him with “all your [my] heart” (Proverbs 3:5 ESV) for He is Yahweh. As we acknowledge His sovereignty, our eyes should be looking for doors to open or close. Often God does not answer in houses, but in wood, nails, and sweat.  While He determines our next steps, we should be ready to walk it out. Even if the answer does not come, we can have an expectant heart that He is working in the situation.

3.     Thanksgiving

When we are given an answer or blessing, we should bring thanksgiving to our Father. Even if we do not receive an answer or blessing, we can thank Him for the blessings and answers He has already given us. The choice to thank is a chance to acknowledge God’s work. Often, we wrongly think that we are the reason good things happen. God is good and does good for His children. The act of bringing thanks to God gives Him the right places in our hearts as Holy Lord, worthy to be praised. At the mention of how great He is, our hearts are prepared for continued dependence and trust in Him.

Prayer can become an active part of our relationship with God when we see the connection between plea, expectation, and thanksgiving. It can become a daily opportunity to connect with God as we trust God with our pleas, expect Him to be God, and thank Him for His work. While we may not always receive the blessing or answer to prayer, immediately, prayer allows us to grow in our devotion to Him.