LOVE GOD AND HATE TO PRAY?

When I began my early days as a ministry student there was that gnawing item we seemed to encounter at too many turns.....prayer. I didn't like it as a subject and I didn't like to do it. I'm a "take action" sort and prayer possessed neither "take" nor "action". It just went on and on by whomever it was doing the mouth to ceiling recital. B-0-r-i-n-g....and I, for one, have no time for b-o-r-i-n-g!

In school we had times of prayer, studies on prayer, and then more prayer. I dreaded every second of it. I resented those who seemed to stand on their street corner to be heard by all. Give me a break. I wanted to get on with the guts of church work. When actually in ministry, I prayed very little. When I did it was always to commit my wish list to His ears. If a neighboring preacher would visit me at the office and ask if we could pray before he left, I always said yes. However, my inner man rolled my eyes and stuck my finger down my throat in sheer rejection of such a time-waster. He prayed. I listened. In my mind, my rejection trumped his praying and I won.

Over 25 years ago Albert Lemmons conducted a prayer seminar at Memorial. I attended but didn't want to. I went out of peer pressure; I was the preacher and had to show up. I went but vowed to not learn anything. I hated to pray. When he taught us to pray through the Psalms, I thought time had obviously stopped in its tracks. We even fasted an entire 24 hours and I felt I would not live. I didn't eat for the delegated time, but I didn't do much praying either. I was so glad to go out and load up on food!

Today, I truly enjoy prayer. My most important time of my week is when four or five of us gather in the auditorium on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. to pray for an hour over our day. The time flies. After leading several small groups in my home on Sunday nights with a combination of singing, eating, studying, and praying, I decided to begin a new group which would only pray. We spend our entire time in prayer. Such a move rapidly exploded our group into three groups.

What changed my view of prayer? My view of God. At first I saw Him as a Pharmacist taking orders for cures. But I learned to see Him as involved and interested; He loves to hear us say things as Thank You and We adore You. I've learned He is near. I've learned He is active; He responds. He cares.

Our God is alive! He lives! He lives to be adored! He lives to be given credit for all our senses can absorb! He seems to delight in seeing us praise Him in the center of distress as we act as if we actually have a Living God! Our lives are all about Him!

Prayer is not an order form with an 800 number. It is human to heaven and heaven to human discussion; a literal dialog. We pray to say to Him and to hear from Him. I guess the biggest thing which changed my view of prayer is to realize it is a two way street. When I learned God speaks to me and I need to listen for His response, the co-laboring involvement He and I took on is mysteriously wonder-full.

If you don't like to pray, I don't blame you. Yet, I do cheer you on that as you begin to connect with Him in speaking-terms-fellowship, life opens as a spring bloom.....wonder-fully a WOW!