“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” James 5:16-17
What do you expect to happen when you pray? Something? Nothing? Exactly what you asked for? Is prayer always asking for something? Do you ever feel like you are talking to an empty room, bordering on crazy, when you turn to God in prayer?
Christians talk about prayer frequently. We talk about it as if we all understand how it works, and love to spend time tapping into the power of prayer. I’ve been a believer for a long time, I love to pray, I believe in the power of prayer, and yet I sometimes feel like I am taking to an empty room. Sometimes I wonder how it all works.
Scripture is clear that prayer is important and effectual. James reminds us that Elijah was a man like any other but he prayed and it did not rain for three years and six months. The power was not in Elijah but in the God he believed in and prayed to.
James 5:16-17 is one of many verses in scripture that instructs believers on prayer, yet exactly how prayer works is as enigmatic as knowing the fullness of God. We can recite and believe the words of what is known as The Lord’s Prayer, we can allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for us with groanings when our words and hope fail, we can send up a laundry list of what we wish God would do, but in the long run prayer should be our heartfelt communication with God.
How do you communicate with someone you cannot see? The simple answer is texting! You type out a message, in some shorthand that you and your friend both understand, never seeing that person or hearing their voice. You trust that your words will arrive at the other end of the text. Sometimes you get a response and sometimes you don’t. Your expectation is a response, because you have a relationship with the person you are texting. In fact, when you don’t get a return text your response may be anger or disappointment.
God offers us the opportunity to communicate with him daily. He may not answer via written or spoken word, but He does answer. The Holy Spirit speaks to hearts and minds that are open to Him. Too often we pray and fail to look for the response, like not checking to see if a friend texted back. We treat prayer more like a lucky charm, with an attitude that we may as well try it, it can’t hurt.
Elijah treated prayer like a powerful weapon, changing politics and government because of prayer. He believed that God could and would answer prayer. He rested in prayer for long moments, probably hours. He entreated God, understanding that only the power of God could change the world. He understood his own role as God’s messenger, leaning not on himself but on the God who called him.
We, too, have been called by God to bring the message of salvation to the world. Most of us don’t change the world, but maybe we could if we spent enough time listening to God and living as if God was powerful enough to use us to bring life to others.
Answers to prayer will not always go the way you want them to. People will still die, jobs will still be lost, tests failed. Just because the answer is not what we wanted does not mean the answer was not given. Jesus prayed for God’s will to be done, here on earth even as it is in heaven. Part of prayer is bringing our perspective in line with God’s will. Spending time with God offers you a glimpse of His will and desire, it brings your hopes and dreams into alignment with His.
I want to challenge you to begin or renew your prayer life this week. God loves you and wants to talk with you. Find a time when you have more than five minutes, a place where you can be truly alone and undistracted, and spend some long moments with God. Start by thanking Him for loving you, for bringing you to that spot and that time. Ask Him to speak to you, and then listen for a response. Have your Bible handy, feel free to read a passage or two, but spend time waiting on God. He may surprise you.
I mentioned that your prayers may not always be answered exactly the way you hoped, but if you are a twin having a birthday and your mom asks what dessert you want to celebrate, you usually get what you ask for! Last week we had raspberry white chocolate cheesecake and peanut butter pie. On the same day! Both were good, but I am sharing the old-fashioned peanut butter pie recipe.
Peanut Butter Pie
For Crust:
- 15 oz generic chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
- 3 oz melted butter
Crush cookies in a food processor. Add melted butter to the food processor and combine. Press cookies into a 10″ pie pan. Bake at 350* for 6 minutes. Allow to cool.
For Peanut Butter Filling:
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 eggs
In stand mixer cream butter and sugar. Add peanut butter and vanilla and blend until smooth.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating for 5 minutes after each egg. This really is important! The beating adds air to the mixture and creates a smooth consistency devoid of sugar crystals.
Pour into prepared pie crust and chill. Serve with whipped cream and hot fudge sauce.
I know this is an old-fashioned recipe containing loads of butter and raw eggs. It is quite rich and needs to be served in small pieces but it is delicious. We have been serving this for years with no ill effects to anyone’s health. This pie is requested year after year for special occasions.
For optimal eating, serve with hot fudge sauce drizzled over the top and a squirt of whipped cream.
Often we combine this filling with a chocolate filling and turn it into a chocolate peanut butter pie. The results are amazing!