“Prayer is the hand of faith on the door handle of your heart. The willing pull. The happy welcome to Jesus.”- Max Lucado
In Chapter 1 (“The Pocket Prayer”) of Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer, Pastor Max Lucado states that “we all pray . . . some.” However, Max asks, wouldn’t we all like to prayer more? better? deeper? stronger? with more fire, faith, or fervency?
However, we exhibit doubts about prayer. In addition, unmet expectations and unanswered requests litter our prayer history. Consequently, Jesus set a compelling prayer example. For example, following the death of John the Baptist and the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus “went up into the hills by himself to pray”- for an entire night.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Max states He gave them a “quotable, repeatable, portable prayer.” In Before Amen, Pastor Lucado distills the prayers of the Bible into a simple, easy-to-remember pocket-size prayer. Hence, Max offers the Pocket Prayer:
“Father, you are good. I need help. Heal me and forgive me. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
For most of us, Max observes, prayer involves conversation with God in the midst of daily activities. In addition Max states, “Prayer can be the internal voice that directs the external action.”
In conclusion, Max defines prayer in its purest form as God and us taking turns speaking and listening. As a result, God changes us through such moments. Most noteworthy, Max writes that:
“Prayer is not a privilege for the pious, not the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child. . . . He taps at the door. Open it. Let the conversation begin.”
Today’s question: How has prayer functioned as the hand of faith on the door of your heart? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the new Short Meditation, “At the whisper of your call”
