Prayer

“And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

Prayer – Prayer positions the relationship.  Who is the head of the tribe, the source of my life, the ruler of my clan, the teacher of wisdom, the lawgiver I acknowledge, the chief I serve, the one I follow?  Prayer says it is God.

Now we can answer the question about the mustard seed.  Jesus’ comments in this story in Matthew are not about prayer.  They are about doubt.  Take a look at the preceding verse, Matthew 21:21.  Jesus contrasts the power of God with the impotence of doubt.  He makes his point by putting the stress on the word “believing”.  But he is not talking about how big your faith is.  He is talking about how solid your faith is.  It isn’t the size of the mustard seed that’s at issue.  It’s the fact that God can work with even the smallest amount of unwavering faith.

God doesn’t put our prayers on the “faith” scale and check to see if they measure up.  He isn’t waiting until you get enough faith accumulated in order to answer you.  Prayer is not about the results.  It is about the attitude.  The results are secondary.

If I stand before the Father in prayer and I understand who I am and Who He is, everything about my life is radically altered.  “I” melts into “us”.  “Me” dissolves into “you”.  “Mine” fades into “ours”.  If I see the truth of my community, if I know who leads the tribe, if I embrace the source of my existence, what is there to doubt?  Has God ever failed to fulfill His purposes?  Can I complain once to the Creator of all?  Do I expect God to do any less than what is absolutely best?

Prayer is the natural, logical result of seeking the face of God.  It is the ordinary expression of a heart that yearns for constant communion with its Lord.  It is the poetry of provision, confirmation of contentment and the adoration of ability.  Prayer is no more difficult than saying, “Our Father”, two of the deepest words ever uttered.