John 16:24 “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

We don’t often think about how prayer changed after Jesus’ resurrection. We automatically tack, “In Jesus’ name, amen,” on the end of every prayer, but it’s actually nowhere near that simple. Prayer existed long before Jesus was born, and is a part of virtually every religion. By definition, prayer is simply asking, and in Elizabethan times was often used that way between people, as witness Shakespeare. In modern usage, prayer is generally used to mean talking to deity, and in its fullest form, it’s talking with deity. We tend to overlook the fact that in the Model Prayer Jesus taught His disciples, (Matthew 6:9-13) there’s none of the “In Jesus’ name” business. That we can talk to the Father in the name of the Son is absolutely astounding, yet we take it so lightly! The most important thing about prayer is that we are indeed talking with the Creator of the universe. That awareness should keep us from being flippant, at least! Jesus is here recognizing that we get happy when we get what we ask for. That’s not something to be ashamed of, but it shouldn’t be our primary motivation for prayer. When done right, prayer is fellowship with our Creator, and nothing is higher or deeper than that. John Denver was hardly a theologian, and may well not have even been a Christian, but there’s a line that has always struck me from his song, Rocky Mountain High: “Talk to God, and listen to the casual reply.” Far too many people pray without expecting any real reply, and that’s tragic. We ask for things, and if we get them, we say, “God answered my prayer.” However, our spiritual ears are seldom tuned well enough to hear Him talk to us with any specificity or detail. Sometimes He will respond to us through the Bible, and we should be reading it with that anticipation. Sometimes He will talk to us through the people around us, even if they have no idea they are prophesying. And sometimes, He will talk to us through our own mouths, if we will yield ourselves to Him. The thing is, we were created for fellowship with God, and the more we move into that, the more peace, joy, and satisfaction we will have.

As I have written before, I grew up in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, and I’m deeply grateful. After all, He can hear everything that goes on. That said, I wasn’t taught to be listening for God’s reply. The first time I ever heard God speak specific words to me without any human agent, I had been asking for wisdom and guidance about some issue, and when I finally took a breath, I heard very clearly, “Well then, shut up!” I was totally shocked, but then I had to laugh at my own foolishness. I now find that He speaks to me in many ways, and I’m still learning to listen. As a pastor, my highest desire for each of the believer in my care is that they too find that God cares enough about them to talk to them, as well as to listen to them. If we will grow to be a congregation in constant communication with our Lord, He will be free to do anything at all through us!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the incredible privilege of prayer. May I exercise it more and more and lead others to do the same, so that Your purposes may be accomplished in and through us for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!