What prayer SHOULD be

Wow it has been longer than I thought since I last wrote. I hope that you will forgive my neglect.

I wrote the following yesterday in preparing for our Encounter worship service. Some of it is original, other parts probably came from other places and other things that I have read over the years. I offer it here for God's glory not my own, so enjoy.

Prayer is more than talking to God about sick people.

Prayer should be our heart reaching out in desperation for the heart of God.

Prayer should be our heart reaching out with boundless joy for God’s heart.

Prayer should be our born from our brokenness reaching out to the heart of God for healing.

Prayer should be an over flow of love from our heart to the heart of God.

Prayer should be an abundance of thankfulness from our heart to the heart of God.

Prayer should be a bending our spirit in submission God’s Spirit.

Prayer should be an act of worship from a repentant heart seeking to lift up God so that all can see.

Prayer should be an exercise of the Spirit that leaves us breathless and ready for God’s refilling.

Prayer should be an emptying of everything we love in this world so God can fill us with everything we need.

Prayer should be so draining that our knees are weak and we need God to support us just so we can walk after we are done.

We have all heard it said that prayer changes things, and there is power in prayer, but the first thing that prayer changes is us. The power that comes to bear must first come to bear in our lives, before prayer makes an impact on others.

We have yet to see the full changes and power that prayer can bring in this church, because we have not prayed as we should.

We have yet to lay our hearts bare and naked before God, we can voice nice prayers for people but yet still have a wall surrounding our hearts.

We have yet to learn how to pray like King David who laid everything out to God in prayer. Every deep emotion, both good and bad. Every thought, brought to God for his consideration.

We have yet to learn how to pray like Jesus, who bore his soul in the garden. Thinking about his disciples and looking forward to the day that we would be sitting here, tonight worshiping God.

I have come to the conclusion that if revival is going to start at this church it is going to start on a night like tonight. When we come before God with our heart seeking God’s heart, not just wording some prayer for sick people but lamenting before His throne because of the condition of this world, lamenting because of the condition of our hearts, and lament because of the condition of Jesus Church in this place.