Prayer is a Door

I've noticed that many books on prayer approach it like it is a skill to be mastered. As though if I pray in just the right way God will give me what I request. Almost as though there is a winning formula to prayer and if I pray in just the right way then I can always win and winning looks like getting what I want.

I don't think that prayer is something to be mastered any more than a conversation or a close relationship is something to be mastered. Certainly it is something in which I can grow in my comfort, ability, depth, and intensity. But I dislike the implication that prayer is primarily about getting what I want from God. While there is certainly some biblical truth in the perspective above, to me it seems incomplete and lopsided.

What I would offer up as a beginning thought for prayer is this: Think of prayer first as a door through which you enter into God's presence. There is much more for us to learn about prayer, but let this be your first and overriding thought on the matter and you can deal with the rest later.

You see many of us think of prayer like sending an email. We compose the message and send it off from a distance. We have complete confidence that the message will get it where it is going and we are reasonably confident that we will get a response. It may be an effective and reliable way to communicate with God but at best it is communication at a distance. We send our prayers up to Heaven and wait for a response. (I am treading carefully because this view certainly finds some support in Scripture. See for example Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple and especially God's response to that prayer in 2 Chronicles 7:14)

But for the New Testament believer, I am increasingly convinced that there is a better metaphor for prayer. Prayer opens a door through which I enter into God’s presence. It doesn’t transport me to heaven, but it might as well because it awakens my spiritual senses to the reality of God's presence all around me.

So when you pray, your first concern is to be mindful of entering into His presence. This is how we believe Adam and Eve talked with God as they walked with Him in the Garden (Genesis 3:8). They didn't communicate from afar until after they sinned. Or consider King Hezekiah. Is it of little consequence that he and so many others first entered God's presence by entering the temple before they prayed (Isaiah 37:14-15)? So too we ought to first endeavor to be mindful of entering God's presence before we focus on making our requests known. Surely too this is how we will talk to God in Heaven, not from far off but face to face. And now, through the power of the Spirit, surely the believer can pray in a similar manner. 

So do not pray from a distance. Don't "talk to the ceiling" hoping that someone up there is listening. Instead, focus on entering into God's presence before you pray. Cultivate a mindfulness and awareness of Him being present where you are. I often do this by reading and praying over a few psalms. As I contemplate God's attributes my Spirit rejoices. I am reminded of how big God is, and I begin to praise Him. As I praise the door opens for me. I become aware of His Spirit stirring within me and suddenly I am in the presence of God. This more than anything else helps my prayers. It keeps them humble. It focuses them on praise. It brings about confession. And above all it makes prayer precious and enjoyable to me like never before.