Prayer 101: 2. God Centered Prayer

This should be a "no-brainer". 

In order for our prayer life to be vibrant, in order for it to be  God-glorifying, and in order for it to provide us with ultimate joy, Prayer must be God-centered.

I know this sounds rhetorical but, if God isn't the center of the prayer, what's the point? 

Not so fast! If we believe that our prayers are God-centered just because we use His name - God, Lord, LORD, Holy Spirit, Jesus, etc - and say "in  Jesus' Name. Amen", our prayers are not necessarily God-centered.

In the last post, we looked at the fact that we can't have a good and vibrant prayer life unless we come to an understanding of Who God is and What His Word says. The Bible, every single jot and title from Genesis 1:1 to  Revelation 22:21, tells us something about Who God is, What His Nature is, What His Plan is, who we are, and how we - as God's creation - fit into  His Divine Plan. The Bible is history or more exactly the Bible is His-story.

The Bible is God-centered. Very plain, very simple. It is all about Him, His attributes, His will, and His creation (I'm sounding like a broken record).  God is not only the central "character" of the Bible, but He is also the plot and the author. Everything focuses back to Him in utter glory and majesty. In other words, the Bible is all about GOD. 

And that's how our prayer life - both corporate but especially individual -  is to be. Our prayer life is to be God-centered. Our prayers are to not only include God, they are to be to Him and for Him and about Him. Not only our prayer life but our life in general. Everything we are to be about - doing and being - ought to be God-centered.

Let's look again at Daniel's great prayer in Daniel chapter 9. Notice how God-centered it is. Notice God's attributes recognized, God's nature revealed, God's plan in the process of being realized.  Aside from Daniel's confession of his and his people's sins, this prayer is all about God.

"I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: 

"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

"Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. O LORD, we and our kings, our princes, and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

"Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and [not] giving attention to your truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD  our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

"Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a  mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day,  we have sinned, we have done wrong. O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

"Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O  my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your  Name." Daniel 9:4-19.

Do we, His people have needs? Of course. Are we to pray for them? Ditto. But we are not to be self-centered. The fact of the matter is that God WILL listen to our pleas, He will listen to our confession, He will do what is right for our lives - as a nation, tribe, or individual - as long as they match His Plan. God wants us to be God-centered.

When we speak to God, when we pray, with Our Father as the focus, we are realigned. Our burdens are put back into their proper perspective. These burdens and trials have purpose. We as Christians have to especially remember that God wants to take our misshapen lives and reform them into the proper Image as we were designed to be; a holy and majestic image second only to God Himself. And that's a distant second!

Take time to think back on those times of prayer when you made God the center of your time of prayer. Think about what happened as you prayed. If you were afraid, He removed your fear; there is victory in prayer. If you were anxious, He removed your anxiety; there is release in prayer. If you were tired, He refreshed you; there is nourishment in prayer. If you were sad, He brought joy to your heart and soul; there is rejoicing in prayer. If you were in pain, He removed the pain; there is healing in prayer.

Recognizing that God our Father is in control of every aspect of life in general and yours and my life, in particular, should be reassuring enough. But sometimes we don't allow that to be. We don't grab hold of that fact. We want to be in control. We want to drive our lives; we're unwilling to sit in the back seat and allow God to take us to where HE needs and wants to bring us.

And we have to do all of this continually. God wants our lives to be a prayer. He wants us to be in continual communion with Him. "We are made for God alone, who can only be pleased when we turn away from ourselves to devote ourselves to Him." Brother Lawrence as quoted in Vivificat, January 31, 2011.

Brother Lawrence goes on to more fully describe a life ruled and walked by God-centered prayer. His posting in Vivificat on the same date (a link can be found below) goes on to say: "God does not ask much of us. But remembering Him, praising Him, asking for  His grace, offering Him your troubles, or thanking Him for what He has given you will console you all the time ... lift up your heart ...  little remembrances please Him.

"We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him. It is a shameful thing to quit His conversation to think of trifles and fooleries.

"One way to re-collect the mind easily in the time of prayer and preserve it more in tranquility is not to let it wander too far at other times.

"When the mind, for want of being sufficiently reduced by recollection at our engaging in devotion, has contracted certain bad habits of wandering and dissipation, they are difficult to overcome. They commonly draw us, even against our will, to the things of the earth. I believe one remedy for this is to confess our faults and to humble ourselves before God.

"It is a great delusion to think our times of prayer ought to differ from other times. We are as strictly obliged to cleave to God by action in the time of action as by prayer in the season of prayer.

"We should, once and for all, heartily put our whole trust in God and make a  total surrender of ourselves, secure that He will not deceive us.

"There  is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that  of a continual conversation with God; those only can comprehend it who  practice and experience it."

Lord God, you are our God and Creator. We have nothing without You. We are nothing without You. We can only be complete in You. May Your Spirit keep us firmly fixed and focused on only You as we live our lives and as we commune with You throughout each day. Thank You for Jesus Who removed our sins and brought us back into a personal relationship with You. Help us to enjoy Your world without being taken captive by it. Keep us close. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.