God looks not at the oratory of your prayers, how elegant they may be; nor at the geometry of your prayers, how long they may be; nor at the arithmetic of your prayers, how many they may be; not at logic of your prayers, how methodical they may be; but the sincerity of them he looks at.
Thomas Brooks
“Lord please”. This has often been my prayer. At times it was all I could get out through the heartache. At other times it was all I could say due to the shame and guilt I was under. Lord Please.
I have heard great and mighty prayers from many different people. Prayers that would seem to shake the gates of heaven and hell. Elaborate corporate prayers that seemed to include everyone and everything on earth. Then I heard the prayers of the broken in spirit. Those prayers drowned out with sobs and tears. Lord Please.
Prayers of the sick desiring healing and prayers of the sick desiring patience to endure to the end. Long drawn out prayers full of great theology that I could barely wrap my mind around. And prayers of new believers that reflected the great salvation they received. Lord Please.
Im the type to pray in silence. Not out of fear of being heard, but out of fear of trying to make my prayers something others would want to hear. My silence is a guard against my pride and vanity. I only need one to hear me, but I will pray for the entire crowd around me.
We have a model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 “Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
This prayer is a great example given to us by Christ. I pray this prayer myself sometimes along with whatever else has been laid upon my heart. But so many times throughout the day my prayer is “Lord please”.
I often feel guilty in my prayers. I think “I have prayed for myself more than I have prayed for others?” Many times through the years I have felt unworthy to even speak to God through my prayers, but I did not let that stop me. Overwhelmed with disgust for my actions or lack of actions, I have went to God completely broken, and humbled. Being humble and being humbled are two different things! Lord please.
During every circumstance that one may find themselves in, prayer is a necessity. It can have a huge calming effect and produces a less self reliant attitude. It helps grow patience and steadfastness, and strengthens faith.
Prayer is an essential and important part of the believers life that should never be neglected, even if it’s simply “Lord please”. Here is a great list from Ligonier Ministries on the importance and the necessity of prayer.
- To glorify God: Prayer is a way to bring the finite existence of humans into the glory of God’s infinite presence.
- To receive benefits: Prayer is for the benefit of the individual, even though God knows the end from the beginning.
- To prepare the heart: Prayer prepares the heart for what will be received from God.
- To prompt obedience: Prayer prompts and nurtures obedience, putting the heart into the proper frame of mind to desire obedience.
- To communicate with God: Knowledge and truth will remain abstract unless people commune with God in prayer.
- To bring about God’s purposes: Prayer is effective in life because God has chosen to use it as a means to bring about His purposes.
- To reveal faith: Prayer reveals the quality and measure of faith.
No King but Christ 