Natural Prayer

Natural Prayer

Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Matthew 6:8

JESUS SAID GOD KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED before we even ask. He also told us to ask. Because God is merciful and generous, he sometimes supplies our needs regardless of whether we ask, but he has not set up his Kingdom to work this way automatically. Giving us whatever we need without our asking would completely subvert the relationship. We would never realize how desperately we need to turn in his direction and seek his face. We’d think we could get by without a conversation. We would miss the purpose we were designed for—fellowship, friendship, and intimacy with God.

Not all of our conversations with God are based on asking and receiving, but for most of us, that’s where they begin. We know we are fundamentally broken, so we ask for salvation. We have needs and desires for provision, protection, relationships, and more, so we ask him to take care of us. We have dreams and goals that are beyond our reach, so we ask him to help us obtain them. Somewhere along the way, we begin to worship and give thanks as we should. But our relationship usually begins with an awareness of our need. God seeks us there, we come to him on that basis, and the relationship grows.

Asking and receiving is the rule of the Kingdom, and it never becomes obsolete. In fact, it becomes a delight. We get to know our Father, he enjoys the give-and-take, we draw closer in the process, and love flourishes. We do not surprise him with our requests—he knows them beforehand—but he takes pleasure in fulfilling them according to his purposes. If we think we have to twist his arm to give us what we ask for, we have misunderstood past delays and gracious denials. But if we keep asking with the simplicity of a child making a request of his or her father, we enter into the joy of his kindness and love. We grow into his likeness and extend the same love to those around us. And we pray as naturally as he intended.

A habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian.