Prayer

I pray often.  Short prayers.  Long prayers.  Breath prayers.  Scripture prayers.  Babbling prayers.  Silent prayers.  Sometimes I pray with my eyes open.  Sometimes they are closed.  Sometimes I pray when driving (I keep my eyes open during these).  Sometimes I pray standing up.  Sometimes I’m sitting in my favorite chair.  Sometimes I’m lying in my bed.  Sometimes I kneel.  Sometimes I’m prostrate with my face down before God.  

I’m sure that God hears all of my prayers.   I’m sure He is not waiting for me to get into a particular stance to pray.  But He did show me something last night about my prayer life.

I was agonizing over a situation.  I was heartbroken.  Tears escaping from my eyes and spilling out over my cheeks.  A situation that I have absolutely no control over.  None.  Wasn’t even about me.  Yet, I found myself aching to the very depths of my soul for the people involved.  People that I love dearly.  No amount of talk, encouragement or hugs could fix this problem.  So I prayed.  Remember I do this often.  Pray that is.  And last night’s prayer was on my knees, fully surrendered. 

And this morning as I rejoiced in His answered prayer, this is what God said to me in a still small voice:  “Debbie, when you really expect to hear from Me, when you truly surrender a situation, you fall to your knees…literally…and sometimes you even stretch out prostrate before Me weeping.  It is during those times that you recognize that the only way the situation is going to change is if I intervene.  Your heart is pleading with Me to bring peace, reconciliation, restoration.  Remember, I am looking at your posture, though it pleases me, I am looking at your heart.  I hear all of your prayers, regardless of the position of your body, it is the attitude of your heart I see.”

Wow!  You see when I fall to my knees or lie on my face before Him, I am in a place of complete submission to my Lord and Savior and am expecting Him to answer my prayer.  But all too often I’m praying without expectation.  At times praying without really being engaged (you know, kind of like some of the conversations we have with people but really have no idea what they’ve said or whether we even responded appropriately to a question because we weren't listening).   My physical posture in prayer has frequently reflected the attitude of my heart.  Not always, not every time, but too often. 

Psalm 5:3 says:  In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

So today, I will pray with the attitude of surrender and EXPECT God to answer. Will you join me?