following through...

I am a Christian... and have been for 20 years. One of the core teachings of the Christian faith is prayer. A Christian's entire faith journey begins with a prayer and there are tons and tons of scriptures pointing us toward prayer. Paul said to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thes. 5:17) and Jesus said, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matt. 21:22). There are a ton of different reasons why people pray... and I've tried to tackle what I think are three of the most common...

1. we want something i.e. healing, employment

2. fulfill a ritual

3. create a connection

I think the most popular prayers probably fall under number one... we want something. People who don't even have a relationship with God pray when they want something. Whether it's healing, a new job, a husband/wife, relief from bad circumstances... whatever it may be, we're willing to send up a prayer. Another popular form of prayer is one that fulfills a ritual like praying before a meal. I grew up saying the same "God is good..." prayer taught in Sunday School until I thought I was becoming independent and made my own prayer but I still recite the same one and it still starts with "God is good..." I always thought it was weird my family never prayed before a meal in a restaurant (unless we ate with our pastor) but our family had its rituals no matter the rhyme or reason. Other people may be taught to say their prayers before bed or in church there's usually a prayer before the offering. I think all of these prayers are timely and appropriate and even following along with what God commands us to do... but I question where my/our heart is. I don't want to pray out of habit, but out of graciousness or pure brokenness or seeking that true connection with my King... my Daddy... my Savior. 

I am not one to lecture about a prayer life. I confess mine usually stinks. I am the first person to offer prayers to any and everyone in need, but have to make a conscious effort to follow through. I've tried journaling, out loud prayers, silent prayers, driving prayers, prayers through song... I know it is something that does not come easy to me and I have to work at it. I think I balked at that at first. My relationship with God should not be "work." It should be rainbows and butterflies and dare I say easy.

Then I struggled with questions about the purpose of prayer. If God is in control, why do we pray? If God knows what I'm thinking, why do I have to tell Him? If God already knows how it ends up, why do I have to ask for anything? Of course instead of really talking to Him (aka praying) about it and wrestling with it... I sat on it and used my questions as excuses not to seek Him... not to follow through.

The easy answer to my questions is because He said so. No one really likes that answer, but I think we have to remember He doesn't say so to make us miserable and keep us up late... but He says so because He has our best interest at heart and desires that connection with us. When I lost my job in 2003, nearly everyone knew about it. The entire league folded and it was on ESPN and covered on a ton of major news outlets. I didn't have to tell anyone I was unemployed, but I wanted to call my parents or call my best friend. Even if they already knew... I wanted to talk to them... Even if they couldn't fix it... I wanted to talk to them. I want to follow through with prayer to have the ultimate relationship God desires with me.

I just finished reading Craig Groeschel's Christian Atheist. One of the guys from FCA had spoke earlier this spring and referenced Groeschel's "third line" idea from the book and it's a great visual to figure out where you are in your faith. To get the whole concept of the Christian Atheist and the "third line" read a short article from Relevant Magazine from Craig or you can watch Craig talk about it or better yet go read the book... but my point being I think there are a ton of us stuck at the second line saying "I believe in God and Christ’s Gospel enough to contribute comfortably." I want to move deliberately towards line three and be able to confidently say "I believe in God and Christ’s Gospel enough to give my life to it." I also think my prayer life is one thing holding me back and I know I need to make a conscious effort to seek God in all things not just in the easy things.

So here goes... seeking the third line.