To understand this post, you need to read the previous post. Really, you should. The emphasis is having a new purpose of prayer–the motive and reason that you pray and commune with your God and Savior. This new purpose puts an emphasis on building a relationship with God rather than seeking Him primarily as a resource. This new purpose would make a person’s relationship with God as both the beginning and end reason to pray. In a nutshell, it is seeking FIRST and FOREMOST the face of God rather than the hand of God.
As mentioned in my previous post, there are what we might call “negative outcomes” when we shift the main purpose of why we pray. I call it negative because it will include an ouch or two (actually a BAM! or two), and some hard work. While developing a closer understanding of God we learn more about ourselves under the light of truth. The closer to holiness we grow the more impurities that hide within our heart and life come to light. This exposing of the heart is the work of sanctification by the Spirit of God. He is leading you to be conformed to the image of the Son. This is one of the promises in Romans 8:29, “… to be conformed to the image of His Son,” which is a benefit of Christ’s saving work. The Spirit of God is working in us, exposing what shouldn’t be us, what we shouldn’t want in us. The Spirit is working this sanctifying work of conforming us unto godliness from the inside out. He wants to work the sanctification out … from the soul … into every aspect of our lives. Pretty simple? I wish.
1 Corinthians 3:16–18 (NKJV) — Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
Hebrews 12:5–11 (NKJV) — And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
The Scripture exhorts us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us and look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).” J. Wilbur Chapman has a rule of life that speaks to this “lay aside”:
The rule that governs my life is this: Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.
Ready for Another Negative Outcome of changing our purpose of prayer?
This outcome also evolves into an opportunity of growth like the one above. It begins with examining every part of our prayer life. As our hearts contemplate our relationship with the Father we should begin asking questions, like (feel free to answer these and apply ointment as needed):
- Why am I doing what I am doing in my solitude time of prayer with my God?
- What am I are praying about or not praying about that I should be praying about?
- What is hindering my heart from full disclosure before my God and Savior?
- What is He calling me to learn; am I learning it or ignoring it?
- What is He calling me to deal with in my life during this secret time together with Him?
- Are my prayers in line with what the Scripture says about God’s will?
These are the types of issues that begin unfolding when we shift our purposes of prayer from being about “what we want to say to Him” TO “what He wants to say to us” AND ALSO “what He wants to do in and through us.” When the main purpose of what we do in an area of our life changes, other areas of our life are affected. In this case it is the ripple effect beginning from the heart and working outward. This ripple effect causes other purposes in our lives to begin to change. This also creates a circular change effect that goes back around to where the ripple effect began—which is in our time of prayer. When we change the main purpose and focus of prayer there are shifts or redistribution of priorities in the other areas of our life, which then changes the order of what we do during our prayer and devotional time.
Because of the new focuses or changes that we are making in our life, we pray differently and with a different focus. The cycle continues. The more we pray according to His Will and Purpose and Promises, the more ripples go out into our life. These ripples both disturb the status quo in our lives and lead our daily lives in the truth. The ripples continue to reach beyond us into the lives of others. These extended ripples reach far beyond our comprehension. Our infinite God uses our prayers and godly lives in ways we’ll never know, at least this side of eternity.
All of this may seem like a shaking up, and that’s because it is. For some people it will be a paradigm shift from prayer being less about getting and more about growing. I want to repeat that statement for emphasis: Prayer becomes less about getting and more about growing. Our God and Savior; the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the work of His grace in us and for others take the front seat in our prayers and works their way into the front seat of our daily lives.
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) — But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
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