Faulty Wiring

In the study guide for Celebration of Discipline by Richard J Foster in the chapter on the discipline of prayer, he talks 5 misconceptions about prayer. Here’s a summarized list:

1.       Prayer mainly involves asking things from God. (It’s okay, ask away!)

2.       Prayer must always be a struggle. (Let it be however it is between you and God)

3.       The idea that we live in a closed universe, that everything is fixed. (Nothing is impossible with God and he uses what we do for Him)

4.       The idea that our faith will crumble if our prayers are not answered the first time. (Persistence is an attribute of God that we must cultivate in ourselves)

5.       Prayer only needs to be done once. (Keep praying for whatever it is until God responds and be open to hearing and seeing God’s response)

 

He gave a good analogy about the 4^th misconception. It’s like walking into a room, turning on the light and it doesn’t come on. You would assume something may be wrong like a burnt out bulb or a faulty wiring connection. When we pray to God and the answer doesn’t come right away, it is not an indication of God not answering our prayer. He is God and will do it in His time and in His way. If you think your prayer should be answered in your time and your way, you probably have some faulty wiring that needs some fixing.

 

So in a nutshell, ask for anything, ask for everything, just talk to Him, be patient and persistent and listen.