WEEK 4 –The Author of Prayer

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” John 15:7

In this lesson, we learn that we are not the author of prayer. God is the author of prayer. This may sound odd to some who would say, “Well these are my words and I am the one who is speaking. So how am I not the author of these words?” To help us to understand this, the author of the book asks us to write down instructions to God on how to handle a situation in our life. Then, she suggests, we write across the prayer in red ink saying: Surrendered to the Father. Do your will in your way at your time. Then to pray for God’s will to be done through what was written.

The author goes on to tell us that it is God who guides us to pray and prayer is not something we just decide on our own, just as we didn’t decide to walk, talk, breathe and create ourselves. God is the author of all areas of our life, including our prayer. Everything about us is fully his, most importantly, our hearts. Watchman Nee says in his book Let Us Pray that God’s will is like a locomotive and our prayers are like a railroad track. A locomotive has all the power necessary to travel from one location to another, but it only travels to places where the tracks have been laid. God has the power to go anywhere he wants to go, but his power only goes where the prayer-tracks have been laid.

True prayer comes when our hearts are set before God and not our own selfish desires. I wish God would give me a really nice car so that I can give rides to Bible students in style. Instead, I have a busted up Honda Accord to remind me of a selfish unanswered prayer. Lord’s will is often different from my own. As I mature as a man of faith, my will has changed from one who searches for my own will into one who seeks God’s will in prayer. I pray that my heart may be changed in God to reflect his will.

Any prayer that is made without God at the center is not a true prayer. A true prayer that glorifies God has already been set before time began. He has authored the prayer before the need has even occurred. There is a helper to help us pray according to God’s will and that is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit does great things to help a person pray not only sincerely but in a way that pleases God to the fullest. We must also welcome the Spirit as we pray so that we completely glorify God. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 best articulate the wisdom the Spirit gives so that we may glorify God perfectly. I personally admit that there are clear differences between a sincere prayer led by the Holy Spirit and one that is out of routine. As I grow in my prayer life, I have been starting my prayers with a conscience effort to welcome the Holy Spirit in guiding my prayer. This prepares me to properly pray for God’s will to be done and not my own.

In conclusion, accepting Jesus is the first step to having a prayer life authored by God. It is also necessary to have a clear heart which allows the Holy Spirit to work on our prayers to be sincere and meaningful. Through our sincere Bible studies, we can also see how God has answered prayers in history.

Meditation By Chris Sherrill