The root of the English word “pray” means to ask or beg. As we know, there is a lot more to prayer than asking for stuff. Nevertheless, prayer of asking (or petition, to use the fancy term) is an important part of prayer.

What should we ask for? I remembered a little kid who said he had prayed his mother would take him to MacDonald’s for a milkshake. That’s OK for kids, but unfortunately adults also pray that way. I saw a cartoon in Mad Magazine where a golfer is standing on the green praying, “Lord, if you let me sink this putt, I’ll be in church every Sunday for a month.”

We can pray about anything, but as we mature in our prayer life our prayers will increasingly turn to what God wants us to pray for. The more we pray, the more we discover what to pray for. In fact, it might be a good thing to pray to God to let us ask for the things God would have us ask for.

I suggest people first pray for themselves. What do I need in my life? But prayer doesn’t stop with me. The more we pay attention to God in prayer, the more we are turned outward. We pray for family and friends, people we have met or heard about, our community, the needs of the world and of creation as a whole.

“Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be oopened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to him who knocks.” Matthew 7:7-8

Remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Originally posted five years ago on August 11, 2016