Living Your PurposeSample

Prayer

What if someone came up to you and said, “Name it . . . the sky’s the limit. What do you really want to ask, and what do you really want to have happen?” Most of you might be thinking, Yeah, if only! while giving a slight smirk and eye-roll. But wait! This is happening to you every day. Yes, every day you are presented with a Counselor, a Helper, a Holy Spirit who intercedes with God in heaven on your behalf. F.B Meyer wrote, “The great tragedy of life is not the unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.” Isn’t that an understatement? How can God meet us halfway when we only bring forth silence, doubt, and unworthiness instead of a confidently stated desire? We have a learned belief that our deepest hopes and desires are somehow based in greed rather than being rooted in our DNA. There are specific sparks (ideas/passions) in life that enthrall us, make us unique. Our nature is to come closer and see the spark turn into a flame, igniting our passions fully. Some sparks might be starting a non-profit, having children, pursuing higher education, or following a creative endeavor. The flame represents the desire being fulfilled. God wired us to have sparks of passion. He also promised: “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!” Isaiah 65:24 (NLT).

When my daughter was six years old, her aunt gave her a prayer stone when she needed extra comfort. It sat, mostly unused, on her nightstand, a sort of zen spot amid the cluttered mess of her disorganized room. One night, while tucking her in, I noticed she had the stone cradled in her hand, in the dark. She asked me to sit down and tell her of any prayer requests I had. I was a little thrown off, since I had never heard her say the words "prayer requests" before. For a moment I was tickled at the situation; it felt like I was in a prayer circle, and she was there to listen in the cloak of darkness, as if I was one of many people who would be passing through her room that night seeking peace and redemption. But I quickly reminded myself that God had spoken to her heart and without questioning it, she asked me to tell her my requests, so I did . . . to my child . . . but really to God: "I pray that my body feels better very soon and that I stop worrying about my health." That was all I said. Then I asked her for a prayer request, and she chirpily replied, "Oh, I don't really have any. I just wanted you to say one." I was I caught off-guard, to say the least! That was the whole purpose . . . to bring me to prayer, with my daughter as the prompt (the power of two or more). 

So pray with wild abandon! Pray with creative visioning. Pray with joy. Remember: God created you to live with purpose, desire, creativity, and boldness. His pleasure is in hearing your bold, honest prayer and answering it in the way that best supports your life’s purpose. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” 

Revelation 5:8 says, “And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” Here, incense is mentioned in the context of temple imagery. By offering up a sweet aroma to God, it symbolizes prayer. Psalms 141:2 further explains the etheric, smoky essence of scent: “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice” (NIV). The church is “loved by God and called to be saints” (Romans 1:7 ESV). When we pray, it’s as if a golden bowl of incense is being carried to the very throne of God in heaven. Mmm. I can smell the deep, smoky-sweet smell of my longings, needs, and gratitude, rising to meet God, scent and words combining in a beautiful intersection of communion and faith.

Questions to ask yourself:

·  Are you fearful of praying with abandon? If so, why? Do you feel worthy to talk to God about your needs and longings?

·  Do you have a “band of sisters” in Christ who can support your growth and challenge you to walk a more bold path?

·  If God answers a prayer that requires you to take action, are you ready to jump?

God, give me the grace to know I am worthy of a vibrant, life-changing prayer life.

To read more about discovering God’s purpose for your life, and getting excited about your story, read Jennie Allen’s new book, Made for This: 40 Days to Living Your Purpose, available now at Click Here .