A Shelter of Faith: Prayer (Part 1)
Living in the Midwest, our family is well acquainted with tornado season. We have learned the difference between a “tornado warning” and a “tornado watch” in addition to the importance of listening for sirens. Most of all, we have learned what to do in the case of an imminent tornado. We know where to go when the storm is coming and what to do when the storm arrives. A walk with the Lord does not promise a life free of upheavals; in fact, I would argue quite the opposite. Knowing the storm is coming, He lovingly calls us to prepare our shelter under His watchful eye. Not only does a saving faith in Jesus have eternal ramifications, but a secure relationship with the Lord, on this side of heaven, is crucial when the storm strikes.
If you are new to faith in Jesus or are pursuing a deeper walk with Him, where do you start? Standing in a metaphorically empty lot, the prospect of building a shelter of faith can seem overwhelming. Thankfully, we can rely on the promises laid out in scripture to point us towards the blueprint of a spiritual shelter. Over the next few weeks, together we’ll explore four aspects of a “shelter of faith.”
Have a Plan
As any DIY-er knows, the best place to start a DIY project is with a plan. It can get realllllly expensive really quickly when you decide to randomly buy supplies for a basement remodel when you’re standing in the middle of the hardware store without a plan. Much like looking at an empty lot with the hopes of building a home, starting from “square one” with the Lord can seem overwhelming. Before we can put a “spiritual roof” on our home, we have to start with the foundation: prayer.
“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
This passage from Deuteronomy was written while the Israelites were in exile in the wilderness, before they crossed the Jordan and into the Promised Land. The passage was written after the Israelites had made and worshipped false idols at the base of Mount Sinai. Moses specifically included this passage, with full knowledge that the Israelites had wandering hearts (as do we). When we read this passage, can we infer that we are included in this as well? You bet. Under the new covenant established by the blood of Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is open to all who truly seek Him with all their heart and all their soul.
But Wait, How Do I Pray?
The concept of prayer may look different from person to person, as our former experiences shape how we view prayer. Perhaps you grew up in a home in which prayer was recited without feeling, depth or spontaneity. Alternatively, perhaps prayer was only reserved for the Christmas and Easter dinners. Or, perhaps you grew up in a home in which prayer was completely absent. How do we start a conversation with the God of the Universe who balances the galaxies in motion while simultaneously controlling the atoms?
Let’s start by praying like Jesus. Jesus consistently modeled how we should act in areas like fasting, baptism, communion, and serving one another. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches us how pray:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day 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 evil.”
When Devin and I first explained the concept of prayer to our daughter Katie, we used the well-known “ACTS model” of prayer. We explained the basic framework / components she could use as she learned to talk with the Lord:
Adoration- praise God for who He is and how He has impacted you
Confession- Admit and repent of sin(s)
Thanksgiving- thank Him for what He has done
Supplication- ask for personal needs and for the needs of others
To be clear, there isn’t “one way to pray” or a specific formula to prayer. Similarly, there isn’t “one right way” to pray; some choose to pray in their minds, while others prefer to pray out loud. Some choose to pray in the community of others while others choose to use a prayer journal. Regardless of the method, prayer is simply a way to talk with the Lord and lay out what’s on your heart.
Humbly Ask for Help
Throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, we see the theme that God opposes the proud (Psalm 138:6, Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). As a parent, this concept has started to make sense as I try to raise “spirited” little ones. When a child comes to me with a prideful smirk and demands I refill their cup, how do you think I react? While I may refill the cup, I will also spend some time correcting the attitude behind the request. Conversely, when a child comes to me and humbly asks for my help, my reaction shifts. Not only will I refill the cup, but I will cheer on the gentle request and draw closer to the child who asks me with respect. As we read through 1 Peter 5:6-7, I just imagine God the Father drawing us close to share how we can get to know Him better:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”.
From a place of humility, ask God to reveal how you can get to know Him better. Express a desire to know Him more and confess a desire to walk in His way. Ask Him to bring His Word to life and to breathe truth in to any areas of darkness. Ask Him to raise up godly people around you to walk alongside you as the journey unfolds. Ask for discernment and wisdom as you start to navigate the rocky road of faith. Ask for endurance and strength to battle hard things.
Prayer Through Scripture
There have been many moments in my life in which I have run out of words to say. My words seem inadequate. One idea to incorporate is to “pray through scripture.” For example, there have been “dark” periods of my life in which I have asked for divine intervention with the words from Psalm 91. Using scripture as a guide, I will input my name within the text and pray the same words. As we pray, we can cling to the promises of scripture that we are heard, we are loved, and we are never far from Him (despite how we may feel).
Pray Without Doubt
In scripture, we see Jesus model how we should pray; and, we also see Him respond to a person’s bold, confident faith. We see the leprous man in Luke 5:12-14 humbly and boldly fall at the feet of Jesus with his heartfelt plea for help. We see this man ignore all social norms, confirming His divinity and ability to heal. Do we pray like that? Do we confirm His absolute power and ability to heal, while asking for His help? If I’m honest with myself, I oftentimes pray for a certain outcome while doubting that the desired outcome will actually occur. I pray for medical miracles, but lace my prayers with doubt when considering the impossibility of my request.
James 1:5-6 addresses doubt in prayer when James states:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”
Can you visualize a boat in the middle of the storm, tossed by the waves? When we pray with doubt, aren’t we essentially wasting our time, throwing around empty words that we don’t believe? While we may not receive the answer we desire, we can rest in the assurance that we will be heard and answered.
Encouragement in the Plan
How should we pray? Pray like Jesus. Pray with humility. Pray with confidence and without doubt. As we build our shelter of faith under the watch of the Almighty, we can build with the confidence that He has made the blueprint. When we aren’t sure what we need next, we can run back to Him and ask for help with the assurance that we will be heard and answered.
How has your childhood affected how you view prayer? Are there certain aspects of prayer that hold you back from fully walking with the Lord?
Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we unpack four elements of a spiritual shelter!
