I smile to myself whenever I post on Facebook, our website or send an email asking people to help with a particular event and the response I get is "I'm pretty busy.  All I will have time to do is pray."  

Good!  That's the one thing we probably need more than any other in the long "to do" list for any event.

A few days ago a friend told me she was so stressed about a certain situation in her life that she actually had to pray to ask God to take over and help find a resolution to her dilemma.  

Why is it we turn to God through prayer when there seems to be no other avenue for resolving our issues?   Why is it we think if we can only pray about something and are unable to help in any other way we have somehow let people down?  Why would we "actually have to pray" instead of desiring to pray to have our needs met?

The words "prayer," "pray" and "prayers" occur in the New King James Bible a total of 286 times.  It would seem something mentioned that often would be pretty important to God.

So what is it?  Why is prayer that it's so important to God, but looked upon as a last resort by those of us left on earth?

Perhaps it's we don't really understand God wants us to talk to Him.  That's what prayer is... talking with God.  Telling Him our innermost thoughts.  Praising Him for His goodness.  Thanking Him for everything.  And asking for the things we need.  

We know we need things, but we don't feel it's necessary to go to God and ask.  We hope he will read our minds or our Facebook posts and realize we need Him to do something on our behalf.  But to actually go to Him and pray?   It's unheard of... for some.  For others it's our lifeblood.  The thing that sustains us through difficult times.  


Let's go a step further.  

Praying is our time of intimacy with God.  The times He is able to speak to our minds and our hearts (if we give Him some time to do so.)  He longs to speak to us, to tell us things He knows about us and His plan for us.  

When we go to God in prayer and approach His throne boldly like the bible says we ought, amazing things happen.  

People are healed.  Comfort is given.  Hope is secured.  

Why do we put it off?  What is it about a relationship with God that keeps us from spending time on a daily basis with Him?  Who doesn't long for time in His presence?  Seeking Him to really KNOW Him.  Praying brings all of those things.  And so much more.   Prayer spoken in faith can move mountains.  ("...He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you..." - Matthew 17: 20)


If you are asked to help with a situation or pray for a need, rest assured, prayer is enough.  We have plenty of mountains waiting to be moved.  

Today my granddaughter told me at lunchtime she asks God questions all of the time but she doesn't know how to tell if He is answering her.  

I would guess that's the case with a lot of people.  How do you know if God heard your prayers and how do you know if He answered?

Perhaps it's because we pray too generically.  "Lord, bless my family."  Bless them how?  With health?  With doing well on a test at school today?  How do you know if you're blessed because of prayer if you have no idea what you're really praying and asking God to do on your behalf.

If our mayor went to Governor of Iowa and said "Bless Muscatine, would you?" and left, how would the Governor begin to do that?  How would he know what we need?  And would we know if he answered?  Are we blessed?  Will there be something else?

Please don't get super holy on me and say God is blessing us all of the time.  I know that and I understand it.  God blesses us daily.  But my question remains... if I pray "bless my family" what, exactly, am I asking God to do?

Take your Bible out and look at Mark 10:40-52.  It is the account of blind Bartemaeus.     As Jesus and his disciples pass by blind Bartemaeus cries us "Son of David, have mercy on me."

The man is a beggar and obviously cannot see.  The others around them tell him to hush up but all it did was make him yell out more.   "Son of David, have mercy on me."

Bartemaeus is calling out to Jesus.  God's Son.  He was obviously blind.  Notice the question Jesus asks him.   "What do you want me to do for you?"  Wasn't it obvious?  

Didn't Jesus heal people all of the time without them having to say a word?  The answer is yes.  I could give literally dozens of examples of people being healed as he touched them or they touched the hem of his garment.  

"What do you want me to do for you?"  Jesus wanted the man to ask for a specific need.  Did he say  "I want you to bless me" or was he specific?  Maybe Jesus would have given him a coin.  That would be a blessing to a beggar.  But no, Bartemaeus wanted more than anything to see again.   "Rabboni, that I might receive my sight." 

Bartemaeus wasn't confused at all about what he wanted right then and there.  He wanted to see.  He didn't ask for a blessing.  He didn't ask Jesus to do something commonplace.  He needed a miracle and he asked for it.

What happened?  He could see.  Jesus responded "Go your way, your faith has made you well."  

But it's so much more than that.  It is Strong's number G4982 or sozo.  The same word that is used in Matthew 18:11 - "But the Son of Man  has come to sozo, (save)  that which was lost."

Not healed:  Saved.  Made whole.  Restored.  

Bartemaeus knew Jesus could save.  He knew Jesus could heal.  And he wasn't afraid to ask for the things he wanted.   He was specific. "I want to see."

He knew his prayers were answered. 

Notice Bartemaeus wasn't telling Jesus how to do it.  "Well, maybe if I rubbed some mud in my eyes, I could see, after all it worked for that other guy."  

We don't pray telling God how to work things out.  We tell Him what we need.  I need my health.  I need my marriage restored.  I need my children to grow up to honor You.  I need help with my finances.  I need wisdom in how to handle a situation.  I need You in my life, help me to find more time to spend with You.  

What is it you need today?  My Bible says so yours does too, that we need to ask for what we need.  

Still not convinced?  How about another verse from the bible that states it so much more clearly than I ever could.  The large print is what I want you to read.

Philippians 4:6-7 
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. That's how we need to ask.  And we will know for sure when He answers.

Maybe instead of wondering why God isn't answering prayers, we need to be a little more specific about the things we're praying about.

It's just a thought.