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If you were to use one word to describe your prayer life, how would you describe it? Devoted? Lazy? Sporadic? Consistent? Think about the prayers you are praying. Are they for your gain or for others? Who benefits from these prayers being answered? Figuring out the root of your prayers can really allow you to better pray for things God supports and would be willing to answer.
When I think about my own prayer life, devoted and consistent, unfortunately, are not the first words that come to mind. In fact, the words that do come to mind are not very pleasant: self-centered and self-serving. While my intentions may be good, my prayers are one-sided and benefit me. They all involve prayers that make my life easier and happier.
Did you catch that? I pray for things that make my life easier. "Lord, will you make the kids at work behave today?" "Father, will you help me to do what needs to be done to get this book off the ground?" "God, will you help me to feel better?" Who benefits from these prayers? Me, me, me. Not that any of those prayers are inherently bad, but Kingdom-minded prayers would certainly be far more beneficial.
What if I started to pray for God things instead of good things? What if I prayed for holiness instead of happiness? What if I was less concerned with my comfort and more concentrated on God's will for my life instead of my own? None of those prayers were bad, but they are a bit misguided. They're weak. Imagine if I stopped asking God to make my life easier and started asking God to make my heart obedient no matter what the cost. Consider what my life would look like if I disregarded my comfort and prayed consistently for His will to be done and His Kingdom to come without any strings attached about my well-being? Those would be powerful prayers. Those would show true commitment to the calling God has placed on my life.
Jesus tells us to ask and to knock (Matthew 7:7-8). God wants good things for His children. That doesn't mean we can't ever ask for good things for ourselves. But it does mean we could take a step back every once and awhile and stop asking God so much for the easy, sunshine-filled, daffodil lanes and start asking Him to take us on the road less traveled, dark and bumpy if it means we are doing His will. We are not called to live comfortable lives. We are not called to have lives that have no set backs, complications, or irritations. Those things are promised in the Christian life, but we can take heart because God has overcome this world (John 16:33).
Trust God wants what's best for you always. Instead of praying for picture-perfect days, try praying for God's perfect will to be done. Instead of relying on the "prosperity gospel", rely on the true Word and calling of the gospel that doesn't ask us to live lives of being served, but rather ones serving others. I'll be praying those prayers with you, and we can hold each other accountable. The more we commit to praying prayers that ask for God's will for our lives instead of rainbows, constant peace, and no opposition, the more we will see God's goodness in the midst of the storms. We will see He's never let us down or failed us, and He isn't in the business of starting either. We serve a great, big God capable of breathing the universe into being. Let's not limit Him with self-pleasing prayers, but rather Kingdom-bringing prayers that call down the awesome might of the Holy King of Kings.