No other religious act is as universal as prayer. Knowing that all of you are fathers who pray, and are teaching your children to pray, I want you to realize that you help your children join into an endless chain of prayer that has probably never ceased since human beings began praying. Whether the prayers go up to a pantheon of gods, or to the one and only true God, prayers have been uttered for thousands of years 24/7. It is only in recent years that prayers have come under derision by those fools who don't believe in God. Even in our prestigious halls of government the call to prayer for those in need of comfort have been heckled and used as a political weapon. Yet, with all of that prayer, there is question we need to answer in ourselves; Why do we pray?
Have you ever kept track of answered prayers? Can you state with assurance, that prayer does work? Why pray if everything proceeds on a set course dictated by God? We've been looking at the Lord's prayer, and within that prayer we can only find one reference to praying for ourselves. If we can't improve our lot in life by prayer, what good is the act of prayer? These are questions I've asked, and have been asked of me over my lifetime. Do we REALLY believe that prayer changes things?
IF you believe really believe prayer changes things, then why aren't you doing more of it? Is there anything else that could be more important than prayer?
The answer to that question is as simple as the car you drive. Every car has a key, which turns the ignition circuit on, which allows the car to start, which in turn allows the car to move, which allows you to go places. You are the key and prayer is the ignition that fires up the spiritual engine. WE pray to advance the Kingdom of God, we pray so that the Kingdom can come from heaven to earth.
Sadly, during the last century, we saw the power of prayer abused by those who saw it as a means to enrich their lives on this earth. The prosperity movement took valid truths, and twisted the act of prayer into a vending machine that dispenses goodies upon anyone with enough faith coins to drop into the spiritual slot. Don't get me wrong, I believe in living a good life, and I believe God wants us to have a good life while we are here on this earth. However, if you truly believe in eternity, this life is beyond infinitesimal in comparison to the eternal. Cluttering up our prayer lives with requests for stuff, or dismissal of conflict, can be counter-productive. So, what do we do? Why do we pray? Actually, the question should be; What should we pray for?
As most of you are fathers, I'm sure you've heard your children ask you for things, ask you for information, and ask you what you are doing. THINK!!! What did you respond with? Did you give them everything they asked for? Did you answer their every question? If you did, let me know how that went for you. Sometimes, (and I've said it myself) the only answer you can give is; "Because I told you so."
Over my lifetime I've heard every explanation for prayer that can be given. The one thing I've never heard is a reason not to pray. So, when you come to Men's Group this Sunday morning, you might keep in mind the next phrase in the Lord's Prayer. "Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
