After my theology class this afternoon I was inspired to write on the “oh so common” topic of prayer. But I’m not going to tell you how you need to make prayer a priority every day. I’m not going to tell you why you should pray. I’m not going to tell you what you should pray. I’m not going to tell you what you have heard a hundred times, so don’t close the page just yet there might be something for you.

If you cannot change the mind of God what is the purpose of prayer? If God is unchangeable, what can your words do to have an effect on His decision? If the words of your prayers seem to hold no power to change God, than what is the purpose of praying at all?

As Americans we live in a culture where we are completely blessed above anything we can even comprehend. Anything we want or need is right here in front of us, whether we can afford it or not, there are always loop holes to fulfill our desire. If we want something bad enough, we can make it happen. This mentality seems to be in our blood, and when it comes to prayer, that’s not a good thing.

I think so often, we come to God with the same mentality. For examle, our prayers may sound like this: “God this is what I want, make it happen,” or “God I’m pretty sure this is the one for me,” or even “God this is what I want, so can it please be what you want? I mean I’m sure if I want it, you want it for me.” It’s as if we have a plan for our life, and we’re comfortable with that plan, we believe we know it’s what is best for us, and we want to make sure our plan fits into God’s plan.

(I’m just going to get real with you, because there is no other way to get down to this point. This subject has been burning within me so deeply today, and I really think it’s a message God wants to get across. I have been meditating on the idea recently, and the discussion in class caused it to overflow, so if I come across strongly, i really believe it’s an important topic and there is no way I can share it lightly.)

Prayer is not about making sure our will fits into the will of God. Prayer is about finding and discovering the will of God IN our lives. Prayer is about searching ourselves, searching our hearts crying out for the power of God to change us. Prayer is not about making our desires come to pass or making our wants happen, but it is about discovering the plan of God. Prayer is about grasping the “vision” and the heart of God. To see His will in every situation so that we can align ourselves with His desires. Prayer is not about changing the heart or plan of God, but about changing our perspective on how we view every circumstance in our life. How we handle every problem, every struggle, every joy, and every opportunity. We cannot discover the plan, we cannot discover the heart, and we cannot see what God is trying to do unless we pray.

Praying is hard for us; it puts us in a vulnerable position. Prayer is saying, “God I have no idea what is best for my life. I have no idea what to do with my life. I have no idea how to make it through this day. God I have no idea how to live on my own. I need help.” Prayer places you in one of the most vulnerable places you can be in, because you don’t have control. Prayer is where you seize the right to control anything, and put yourself in a place of absolute surrender. Prayer is where you place yourself in a position where all you have left to do is trust God and put your faith in Him, and this is exactly the place you want to be.

Prayer changes you.