SEARCHLIGHT
Do you experience a freedom to express yourself as you pray to God?
SCRIPTURE
“Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God, hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.” 1 Kings 8:28
SPOTLIGHT
I want to be upfront and tell you some of the struggles I have had in learning how to pray. Maybe you will be able to identify.
Sometimes I feel so inadequate when I pray. I am trying to express myself to God, but I feel like I am doing a poor job in comparison to other people I have heard pray with such eloquence. Poetic, powerful wording seems to flow out of some people. Maybe I heard a “saint” pray in church, at a prayer meeting, or maybe it was a well-known person like T.D. Jakes or Beth Moore. Solomon eloquently prayed at the dedication celebration of the Temple he built in Jerusalem. You can read his prayer which begins in 1 Kings 8:22. As I said before, it is so powerful and poetic. What I know is this. I have often thought my prayers are not heard by God the way He hears people like Solomon.
Sometimes I feel too unworthy to pray. It is not because I am hiding unconfessed sin, but it is because I just do not feel I deserve the attention of the living God. I just do not feel like I am good enough to ask Him for anything, let alone, take His time.
Sometimes I feel so emotional when I pray, I wonder if I should wait until I get it together. To be honest, there are times when I pray for someone or something, I feel like crying, or even screaming because the burden is so great and heavy. Daniel had a similar moment when he said, “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition…” [Daniel 9:3.]
Sometimes I just want to shout praises when I am praying. I have wondered if it is all right to talk to God this way. I am so overwhelmed with how loving and caring God is, that I find it difficult to contain myself without lifting my voice. As if I were at a sports event cheering on my favorite team!)
Guess what? The Bible teaches that it really does not matter how you feel when you are praying. You are FREE TO PRAY JUST AS YOU FEEL. What is not important is how you pray, as long as you pray. God is not looking at what you say, or the way you say it, as long as you say it.
In Solomon’s eloquent prayer which flowed from his inmost being, there is something he prayed that has given me great freedom to just be me when I pray. As seen in the Scripture verse above, Solomon used 3 different Hebrew words for prayer. Translators use the words PRAYER, PLEA, and CRY in verse 28. Here is the insight that has allowed me to truly know my prayers are getting through to Almighty God. I have learned to sometimes pray, sometimes plea, and sometimes cry out to God. [Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, 1 Kings.] Solomon made this clear that this is what he was doing.
The first word, prayer, is a general word that describes prayer as praise, supplication, or thanksgiving. This type of prayer is when you worship God, or express heartfelt gratitude, or humbly ask for Him to intervene. It is the most common way of praying. You will do a lot of this type of praying for the rest of your life. It happens every day. God will be listening to you when you worship Him, or boldly ask for something, or express deep-felt gratitude.
The second word, plea, is a prayer for help and mercy. This is when you earnestly entreat God to answer your request. [See Kings 8:45,52.] You can view this as being an intercessory prayer. You come to God on behalf of someone else. When you plea to God, you are expressing far more emotion. God hears not just your words, but your heart as you plea for mercy. Elijah prayed this way in I Kings 18:36-39 when he called on God to consume the sacrifice and everything else on Mount Carmel.
The third word, cry, describes a “ringing cry of joy or sorrow.” This could be a cry of praise, but often this is a desperate prayer. You cry out to God to be healed or delivered. Psalm 77:1 states, “I cried out to God for help. I cried out to God to hear me.” Nothing is held back because you are besides yourself. Hannah cried out to God for the privilege of having a son. [See 1 Samuel 1:10-18.] Hezekiah cried out to God for healing as he prayed on his death bed. [See Isaiah 38:1-6.] So did the Jewish people. [See Isaiah 30:19-21.] Elijah cried out to God to heal a dead boy. [See 1 Kings 17:17-24.]
In a nutshell, here is what I have learned about prayer from this verse. Go ahead and pray just as you feel. Most times I pray. Many times, I plea. Sometimes I cry. Do not worry about how well you speak. Just pray. There is a time for each way of praying. Humbly and earnestly talk to God. He longs for you to communicate to Him, regardless of emotion. The Bible clearly teaches that you are invited to feel FREE TO PRAY JUST AS YOU FEEL. God is not looking for high sounding language, but humility. He is not wanting eloquence, but earnestness. This is so freeing. I no longer wonder if I am praying the proper way. Talking to God is what matters.
SOMETHING TO DO
Check these Scripture verses out for further clarity:
- The word “prayer” is used in, 1 Kings 8:29,30,33,35,38,42,44,45,48,and 49.
- The word for “plea” is used in, 1 Kings 8:45 and 52.
- The word for “cry” is used in, 1 Kings 8:52. [See also Psalm 18:6.]
- See how Solomon used “prayer…plea” in, 2 Chronicles 6:34-42.
Do you pray out loud when you are alone? If not, then try it. Listen to your own voice as you speak with your Heavenly Father. This will add a unique dynamic to your time of prayer.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the freedom to pray as I feel. I am so thankful there is not a set of rules to follow, or a special way of speaking. Thank You Lord God for hearing, and answering my prayers, pleas and cries. AMEN!