Would you pray? Seriously, would you really pray if wishes came true? If yes, how would you really pray?
You may have heard the saying, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride?” It’s coming from the old days when only those of means rode horses. Maybe today we’d say, “If wishes were private jets, beggars would ride in them.” Here’s why. Wishes focus on what seems impossible for you to attain. Yet, as a human being you wish and, who knows, it’s possible that one day your wish will come through. That hope is built into your heart.
So here’s the question, when you pray why are you really praying? Seriously, that’s the real question, isn’t it, when you ask, “how would you really pray if wishes came true?” Here’s a clue.
Really Pray—a Wish Or . . .
If when you pray, it’s all about what you want, then your prayer is a wish.
If when you pray, God is furthest from your mind, then your prayer is a wish.
If you pray only to get, then your prayer is a wish.
If when you found a way of getting everything you need without praying because your wishes came true, then your prayer is a wish.
If wishes came true and you still prayed, then maybe you’re praying to God if . . .
Really Pray to God
As you’ve read elsewhere in these blog posts, prayer starts with God. Thus, to really pray is to start with an awareness and openness to God. In this way prayer, is not about the what—what you want, what you will get, what God can do for you, what your life should be like. Rather, prayer is about the who—God is, God is good, God is love, God is faithful . . . .
This means that prayer is surrender to God. Think of it. If prayer is about God, then to really pray is to be about what God wants. It also means that when you ask, you ask according to what God wants. Then, it really doesn’t matter whether or not wishes come true. You are rooted and grounded in the God who loves you and who is enough. And, that’s all you need for life.
That’s why it was important to make available How to Pray: Living Wholly Through Honest, Surrendered, Heart Praying. God has to be your starting and focus. Otherwise, you’re just living in the land of wishful thinking when y could be bold before God.
And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him (1 John 5:14–15).
Get closer to God and gain a deeper understanding of who God is.
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