Prayer

“And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'”  Matthew 21:13

Prayer – When Matthew translated Jesus’ shout into Greek, he used the word proseuche.  Whatever the history behind the Hebrew word might be, the story of this Greek word is a bit clearer.  Proseuche comes from the compound verb of pros (toward or alongside) and euchomai (to speak out loud – to make a vow or wish).  This Greek word covers all of the activity of prayer.  Requests, thanksgiving, intercession, supplication and all the rest of our communication with God. 

The word picture here is helpful.  When we pray, we come alongside God in order to engage Him in conversation.  It’s a two-way deal.  Prayer is often more effective when we listen first instead of blurting out all that’s on our agenda.  After all, prayer is not for God.  He doesn’t need it.  Prayer is that function of relationship by which God changes my perspective on life so that I begin to see things His way. 

But many of us have a very restricted idea of prayer.  We think of prayer as those special times when we bow our heads and start a conversation with “Dear God”.  We act as though prayer is like writing a letter to some distant benefactor.  If it is written just right, if the grammar and the words are all correct, then He will reply.  As long as we picture God as someone far away, we will do nothing more than write our prayers and send them off by snail mail.

How all that changes when we realize that we are the temple of God.  He isn’t off somewhere tending to the universe.  He is right here inside you.  And what’s the point of writing a nice letter to yourself?  Prayer isn’t letter writing.  It’s more like breathing.  It is that continuous, automatic movement of conversation back and forth between you and God.  When we are really devoted to Him, it goes on all the time.  Washing the car, cutting the grass, driving to work, shopping, sitting here writing this – every moment God can be on your mind.  You’re just sharing your life with Him.  Wherever you go, He goes too.  Whatever you think, He knows all about it.  The next time you see someone driving along the freeway talking to an invisible partner in the car, you might be observing a prayer.

Is God so close to you that your thoughts are offered to Him as they happen?  Or do you act as though God needs a memo before He can understand?