Kyle T. White
GUEST COLUMNIST

Christians pray to God who describes himself as able to do whatever he pleases. He says that his will is certain and his counsel will stand.

He says that none can stop him or keep him from accomplishing his purpose.

All of this and more is revealed to us in the Bible (Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 46:10-12; Daniel 4:34, 35) about God.

Christians are bidden by this God to come boldly into his presence through Jesus Christ, our high priest. This is why we pray in Jesus’ name. It is the verbal expression of the spiritual reality of Jesus being our mediator before this holy, almighty God who bids us come.

Prayer is the amazing privilege of every Christian. It is access at any time into the very presence of the sovereign creator of the world who is literally guiding his world to the end that pleases him.

As we pray, we do not seek to manipulate or control the God to whom we pray. We do not seek to get God to conform to our will, but rather we are seeking to conform to his. We remember, as we pray, that we are expressing ourselves to the one who is not limited in power and is able to bring about his purpose.

We are not begging before one who has no interest or has no desire to involve himself. In fact, in prayer we ultimately become satisfied that his will is going to be done and we seek to praise him with thanksgiving for what he will bring to pass.

Christians pray to a God that hears them and responds to them. There is a relationship. There is the human side, which involves the expression of the human will as the praying human seeks to understand and bring himself into a place of submission to the will of God.

Prayer for the Christian is not mindless repetition of memorized phrases. It is not a religious activity that seeks to appease an angry God. It involved, in part, the unloading of a burdened heart to one who cares.

This is seen vividly in the prayer of the very human Jesus (who is God manifest in the flesh) who prayed before his crucifixion these agonizing words: “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee,” “take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

Here we see the tension existing within a human being as he prays to God. There is the will of the one praying and the will of the one to whom he is praying. The will of the one praying is expressed with passion. Yet, in the end, the one praying comes to a place of peaceful resolution that the will of the one to whom he is praying is best.

Jesus set the example for every Christian. He knew that the will of his father would be accomplished; yet he prayed with passion and reason. Ultimately, he submitted to the will of his father. This is how Christians pray to our God. Our God does all things well. We know this. We pray not so much to direct him as to unburden our hearts and express our minds, ultimately resting in his wise and perfect will.

Kyle T. White is pastor of Community Baptist Church at 5697 Labus Road, No. 1, Elmendorf, Texas, 78112.