Prayer is...
Matthew 6:6
The supreme purpose of prayer is for God to be glorified in the answer.
Amy Carmichael was a young girl who desperately wanted blue eyes. All the other children had blue eyes and their eyes were beautiful. Hers were a dull brown. So plain and ordinary. She begged God to give her blue eyes so she could be beautiful like the other children, but God didn't change her brown eyes. She was upset. Why wouldn't God want her to be beautiful? Later in life God called Amy to the mission field of India where she ministered to the native people by dressing as a native. Appearing as a native, Amy was trusted by the Indians more so than other outsiders. Amy realized that God's answer to not give her blue eyes was accomplishing His ultimate will in her life. She later penned these words:
Just a tiny little child
Three years old,
And a mother with a heart
All of gold.
Often did that mother say,
Jesus hears us when we pray,
For He's never far away
And He always answers.
Now, that tiny little child
Had brown eyes,
And she wanted blue instead
Like blue skies.
For her mother's eyes were blue
Like forget-me-nots. She knew
All her mother said was true,
Jesus always answered.
So she prayed for two blue eyes,
Said "Good night,"
Went to sleep in deep content
And delight.
Woke up early, climbed a chair
By a mirror. Where, O where
Could the blue eyes be? Not there;
Jesus hadn't answered.
Hadn't answered her at all;
Never more
Could she pray; her eyes were brown
As before.
Did a little soft wind blow?
Came a whisper soft and low,
"Jesus answered. He said, No;
Isn't No an answer?"
Amy realized that prayer wasn't her getting her way, but a way to see the will of God and glorify Him through the answer. While prayer isn't simply a show for others or a ritualistic practice, notice what prayer is.
Prayer is to the Father. Matthew 6:6 says that believers should "pray to thy Father which is in secret." The religious people of Jesus' day loved to pray loud, boastful prayers in the Temple, parading their supposed spirituality. But Jesus stated that prayer wasn't for others to hear, but for the Father to hear.
A prayer can be cried out, whispered quietly, or thought mentally, and God will hear it. Prayer isn't the act of saying words, but is the act of speaking with the Father. When you pray, you are conversing with God. God doesn't require lofty language or a profound vocabulary. He simply wants to hear you. Remember that prayer is not meant to please others, but is your personal conversation with God the Father.
Prayer is to glorify God. Amy didn't understand why God didn't answer her prayer, but as she grew older she realized God's will was at work. God may choose to answer your prayer with a "No" or a "Not right now." Whatever the answer, God will be glorified. Remember that God's ways are above our ways. He knows His future will for you, and His answer is what's best. John 14:13 sums up the goal of prayer by saying, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The goal of prayer is for God to be glorified.
Think of your prayer life. Are you praying solely for God to hear? Is your heart's prayer that God would be glorified, no matter how He chooses to answer your prayer? The supreme purpose of prayer is for God to be glorified in the answer. God was glorified by Amy Carmichael having brown eyes, and He is glorified by His will being done in your life as well.
Daily Bible Reading
1 Kings 14-15 | Luke 22:31-46
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