I love human beings. Today I listened to millions of them talk to Me. They use the word “pray.” Today 212 people in Keokuk, Iowa, prayed that it would rain, while almost at the same time 124 people in the same town saw clouds and prayed that it wouldn’t rain.
A lot of the prayers sounded like this:
“God, I just washed my car, so don’t let those clouds break open. I’ve got a date tonight, and I want my car to look good.”
“God, we haven’t had rain in weeks. My garden is dying. Could You just let it rain for an hour?”
“God, my baseball team is on a winning streak, and I’m feeling good today. Those clouds look ominous, but if You could just hold the rain off ’til the sixth inning, well, that’d be great.”
“God, I am lying here sick in bed, and it’s our last baseball game of the season. If it rains, we can postpone it ’til next week, and I can play. Please let it rain.”
Meanwhile, a six-year-old in Keokuk was having a conversation with his dad about Christmas and trying to understand how long it would be until the day came.
His dad tried to explain it by going through the seasons and explaining that when it started getting cold and snowy, it would almost be Christmas. Jeremy (the boy) didn’t quite understand. So when his dad left, he looked up and said. “God, would You let it get cold and snow tonight? Please? I really want Christmas to get here soon.”
I have to confess, even though it was the middle of July and 96 degrees in Keokuk that day, I seriously considered intervening in time again and making it snow.
But I never meant for prayer to be like a vending machine or Santa Claus. You put your time in asking, and you ask right and hold your mouth the right way and make your heart as open as you can and make promises you probably wouldn’t keep anyway… and you wait for Me to come through for you. And then when I don’t, you leave Me alone ’til the next test you didn’t study for… or the next girl you hope pays attention to you… or the time you really hope you don’t get caught, and you promise you’ll never do it again.
That isn’t prayer! Prayer is relationship. It’s an ongoing conversation between you and Me—two people who want to get to know each other better.
Sure, I don’t mind you asking for things. Daddies like that. They just don’t want to be all about responding to requests. I want you to talk to Me about what you love and what you hate. I want you to thank Me for the things I do for you and ask Me what I want for you. I want you to forgive Me and hear Me when I forgive you.
When you don’t get what you want, I understand your anger and frustration. But I want you to know Me well enough that you come to Me and say how angry you are. And you can hear Me say, “I know, and I love you. And even though you are angry now, I AM doing what is best for you because you are My child. I can’t help but want the best for you.”
I want your prayer times to be times when you sense My love and experience My joy.
I want to reach into the cell structure and electrical impulses going on in your incredible mind that I made for you, and I want you to walk away at times knowing exactly what it is I have said. And at times, I want you to walk away and have no idea what I have in mind for you. That way, you can trust Me and talk to Me all day and all week and all your life.
I don’t want prayer to be just those times you get alone and spend a few minutes or a few hours. I wish for it to be constant in your life. I want you to feel and know that I AM walking with you every second. And because I AM there, you can’t help but notice and chat about almost every little thing that crosses your path.
And there will be times, because of who you are becoming and because of who I AM, that you will go to your closet or your room or your bed, and you will cry out and I will answer. And My touch will make your insides shake and your heart pound and tears flow uncontrollably. And you will lie there in awe and be speechless because you know I AM there.
After you’ve experienced those times with Me, our relationship will never be the same. We will meet on a different plane, and we will walk, and we will talk, and your petitions will be fewer, and your praises will be greater. And it won’t matter so much to you anymore that it rains or it doesn’t…and Christmas will be tomorrow every day.
Excerpt from God's Blogs
