Half-Formed Prayers

I'm so grateful that our gracious God answers our half-formed prayers. Are you? All too often, I find myself muttering a fragmentary thought as I dash in and out of God's holy presence. My need may be genuine and my thought sincere, but too frequently, I don't take the time to think things through, and then earnestly and fervently bring my request to my Father. Nonetheless, He often answers my small, simple prayers far and above what I'd imagined.

Isaiah 65:24 – I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! (NLT)

Though God does answer even our simplest prayers of little faith, let's be careful that we don't make short, hurried prayers the norm. Our heavenly Father has unlimited blessings to bestow upon us.

Psalm 50:10 – For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. (NLT)

Maybe even worse than sending a scattershot of prayers to the heavens is our habit of praying and then forgetting to thank God for the answer. By thus minimizing His constant work of providing and caring for us, we may take some of His work for granted, considering it to be the result of natural cause and effect, maybe even of our own doing.

Jesus told His own disciples how to pray. We can use the Lord's Prayer as a model, knowing that it is sufficient for everything that we need to pray about.

I like the way that this prayer is expressed in the modern English paraphrase, The Message:

Matthew 6:7-13 – The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best — as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes. (MSG)

To think about: Let's not settle for the many small blessings that God gives us in answer to our small, half-formed prayers. Let's not limit our prayers to asking for a convenient parking spot or for healing from our latest cold. Imagine instead the blessings that He will grant in answer to our fully-formed prayers of mighty faith.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, You have abundant resources beyond all that we could ask or imagine. May we not limit Your work through our weak, hurried prayers, but instead seek Your blessing and power through earnest prayers coming from a mature, deep walk of faith. Amen.

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