Tag: Jeremiah 29:12-13

Bonus Post: Why Prayer Matters

What is the purpose of prayer? Many see it as a way to ask God for what we want or need: healing for a loved one, a solution to a big problem, or a positive outcome for a challenging circumstance. So, when we get what the desired result, we say our prayers “worked” and that God is good. The challenge comes when God keeps us waiting or gives us a different answer–which can lead us to become confused, angry, or disillusioned. 

Megan Fate Marshman offers a different perspective on prayer. She describes it as “connecting with the one who loves you most.” So, prayer isn’t only about asking God for what we want but about cultivating a relationship with Him. This is also what Jeremiah describes when he writes from God’s perspective saying: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV)

Prayer is so much more than just a tool for making requests of God or a last resort when we’ve run out of all other options. Over the years, I’ve discovered many truths about it through consistent practice and study. It’s changed me and caused my faith in God to grow deeper and wider.  Prayer is more powerful than most of us realize. Let’s look at four reasons why it matters:

Prayer Invites God Into our Circumstances: Psalm 139 tells us that God perceives our thoughts and knows what we’re going to say before we speak. Some would argue that there’s no reason to talk to the Lord since He already knows everything about us. However, the purpose of prayer isn’t to inform God of our circumstances; it’s to invite Him into them. Prayer opens the lines of communication between God and you, just as you talk regularly with people you love. It gives the Lord permission to speak into our lives and to share His wisdom. Often, prayer changes our hearts more than it changes our circumstances. That’s exactly what we see at the end of Psalm 139 when David says: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV)

Prayer is the Healthiest Way to Manage Fear and Worry: Anxiety is on the rise in our culture. Many of us feel a constant undercurrent of fear and worry at all times. We try to control our surroundings, our circumstances, our plans, and our relationships as a way to stave off those panicky feelings. Our minds churn over worst-case scenarios and “what-ifs” that fill us with dread. The irony is, all the time we spend worrying and fretting does nothing to change our circumstances. It wastes our energy, overwhelms our thoughts, and steals our joy–preventing us from living life to the fullest. In contrast, taking all that angst and laying it before God frees us to trust Him and to expend mental energy in more meaningful and productive ways. No one says it better than the Apostle Paul: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

Prayer Changes Our Perspective: When we praise God in prayer, we’re reminded of His character. Consider David’s words: “The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:13, 14, 18, NIV) Praising God for His trustworthiness, faithfulness, and nearness reassures us He can handle anything we bring before Him. This simple but profound quote from author and pastor AW Tozer sums up the power of praise: “As God is exalted to the right place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once.” 

Prayer Lets Us Take Action When We Feel Powerless: When circumstances unfold the way we want or expect, we have the illusion that we’re in control, which makes us feel powerful. But here’s the harsh truth: There are few things we can actually control beyond our reactions. When we accept our humble position, we give God more opportunity to work in our lives. Consider Paul’s realization He could only rely on God’s strength in light of his personal struggles: “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7b-10, NIV

How freeing it is to accept our frailty and weakness and to recognize humbly that we have no power on our own. Acknowledging we don’t have control and trusting God gives us access to true power from the One who loves us most of all. 

Phil Wickham’s “Battle Belongs” is an incredible song filled with Scripture that reveals the power we have through prayer. Click here to listen and celebrate this truth today.

Megan Fate Marshman, Meant for Good: The Adventure of Trusting God and His Plans for You, Zondervan, 2020, page 79.

Come Near to God

Tugging on her father’s sleeve and looking up at him with pleading eyes, the little girl asked, “Can we have some Daddy-Daughter time now?” Smiling, he stood up without hesitation, excused himself, and left the circle of adults to tend to his girl. I always admired the close connection between this pair of family friends. The little daughter approached her loving father with boldness and confidence knowing he would gladly respond to her request. She knew when she needed him, and he gladly received her.

This is a beautiful picture of what God will do for each of us. He says in His Word: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV)

Throughout the Bible we see examples of the Lord in the role of a parent to His people: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a, NIV) Paul tells believers we can cry out to God using the name “Abba Father.” (Romans 8:15) Author and pastor Tim Keller explains, “We need to know the original language here. ‘Abba’ was an Aramaic term which is best translated ‘Daddy’—a term of the greatest intimacy. A child does not always (or even often) address his father as ‘Father’; likely, he has a different term for him that shows his loving, trusting familiarity with his father, such as ‘Dad’ or ‘Papa’ or ‘Daddy.’ And this is how Christians can approach the all-powerful Creator of the universe, who sustains every atom in existence moment by moment!”1

Despite this amazing truth, not all of us approach the Lord with such confidence and enthusiasm. For some of us, prayer feels like a chore. For others, it’s become stale and boring because we’re in a rut using the same words and praying for the same things. Others of us resort to prayer only when we’re really desperate, and some of us shy away from praying altogether, not knowing what to say or how to say it.

Maybe you recognize yourself somewhere on this spectrum. Even if you don’t, I bet that, like me, you have room to expand and deepen your prayer life. If you’re ready to dive in and grow in your connection with the Lord, I’d be thrilled to have you join me for the next few months doing my new study Extraordinary Prayer. We’ll use the Bible as our guide and will explore the prayers of people who cried out to God with authenticity and confidence. 

Opening your book each day will be your chance to tug your Heavenly Father on the sleeve and tell Him you’re in need of some Daddy Time. It’s your opportunity to steal away from the chaos of our world and connect with the One who made you and knows you best. 

Scripture tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”  (James 4:8, NIV) Let’s learn more about how to do this together. Whether you’re participating in person at CPC Danville’s Focused Living or online through my blogs and teaching videos, I hope you’ll join me. In fact, why not grab a few friends and do it together? 

If you need a book, you can order one here. Each session includes group discussion questions. Teaching videos will be live streamed every Thursday morning starting on Sept. 9 and can be accessed any time after they’re recorded weekly on CPC Women’s Ministry YouTube channel. Click here to access teaching videos.

Let’s kick off the study by celebrating our loving Abba with Chris Tomlin’s “Good Good Father.”

  1. Tim Keller quoted from “3 Things You Can Learn from Tim Keller about Being a Child of God” on CrossWalk.com.

Marybeth McCullum, Extraordinary Prayer: Using God’s Word to Expand Your Prayer Life, 2020.

Why Prayer Matters

What is the purpose of prayer? I know, that’s a big question with a lot of different answers. Many of us see it as a way to ask God for what we want or need: healing for a loved one, a solution to a big problem, or a positive outcome for a challenging circumstance. So, when we get what the desired result, we say our prayers “worked” and that God is good. The challenge comes when God keeps us waiting or gives us a different answer–which can lead us to become confused, angry, or disillusioned. 

Megan Fate Marshman offers a different perspective on prayer. She describes it as “connecting with the one who loves you most.” (page 79) I agree with her– prayer isn’t only about asking God for what we want but about cultivating a relationship with Him. This is also what Jeremiah describes when he writes from God’s perspective saying: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV)

Prayer is so much more than just a tool for making requests of God or a last resort when we’ve run out of all other options. Over the years, I’ve discovered many truths about it through consistent practice and study. It’s changed me and caused my faith in God to grow deeper and wider.  Prayer is more powerful than most of us realize. Today I’ll share just three of the many reasons why:

Prayer Invites God Into our Circumstances: Psalm 139 tells us that God perceives our thoughts and knows what we’re going to say before we speak. Some would argue that there’s no reason to talk to the Lord since He already knows everything about us. However, the purpose of prayer isn’t to inform God of our circumstances; it’s to invite Him into them. Prayer opens the lines of communication between God and you, just as you talk regularly with people you love. It gives the Lord permission to speak into our lives and to share His wisdom. Often, prayer changes our hearts more than it changes our circumstances. 

That’s exactly what we see at the end of Psalm 139 when David says: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV)

Prayer is the Healthiest Way to Manage Fear and Worry: Anxiety is on the rise in our culture. Many of us feel a constant undercurrent of fear and worry at all times. We try to control our surroundings, our circumstances, our plans, and our relationships as a way to stave off those panicky feelings. Our minds churn over worst-case scenarios and “what-ifs” that fill us with dread. The irony is, all the time we spend worrying and fretting does nothing to change our circumstances. It wastes our energy, overwhelms our thoughts, and steals our joy–preventing us from living life to the fullest. In contrast, taking all that angst and laying it before God frees us to trust Him and to expend mental energy in more meaningful and productive ways. No one says it better than the Apostle Paul:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:6-9, NIV)

Prayer Lets Us Take Action When We Feel Powerless: When circumstances unfold the way we want or expect, we have the illusion that we’re in control, which makes us feel powerful. But here’s the harsh truth: There are few things we can actually control beyond our reactions. When we realize this and accept our humble position, we give God more opportunity to work in our lives. As we recognize that only the Lord is sovereign and in control, we can trust His power.

One of my favorite examples of this is the prayer of a lesser-known king in the Bible named Jehoshaphat. When he learns that three enemy armies have combined forces to invade Israel, he gathers his people and prays humbly before the Lord: 

“Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12, NIV)

Isn’t it amazing that the most powerful man in Israel admitted that he didn’t know what to do in front of all his subjects? The Lord answered Jehoshaphat’s prayers by delivering their nation from enemy attack. Through miraculous circumstances, they faced their opponents and experienced victory without spilling a drop of Israelite blood.

How freeing it is to accept our frailty and weakness and to recognize humbly that we have no power on our own. Acknowledging we don’t have control and looking to God to rescue us gives us access to true power from the One who loves us most of all.

Truth be told, I have so many thoughts about prayer that it was hard to write so little in this post. In fact, I’ve spent the last year studying and writing about it. So, if this is a practice you’d like to explore further, I’d be honored to have you consider my new Bible study Extraordinary Prayer: Using God’s Word to Expand Your Prayer Life. (The story of Jehoshaphat is just one of the many you’ll discover in it.) You can find it on my website under the “Book Table” tab or on Amazon.

Phil Wickham’s “Battle Belongs” is an incredible song filled with Scripture that reveals the power we have through prayer. Listen and celebrate this incredible truth today.

Megan Fate Marshman, Meant for Good: The Adventure of Trusting God and His Plans for You, Zondervan, 2020.