Prayer is Meant to Move you
““Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’””
When I was younger, I remember my brother and I would play around with our parents' exercise bikes. If you're thinking of a peloton think again. This thing was all flat matte gray and metal. It had a wheel that would turn into a blacksmith grinder if you got high enough speeds.
So my brother would grab random objects, sticks, rocks, and our sisters' toys and tell me to start pedaling. I'd start pedaling like my life depended on it and then he would reshape whatever he was holding and grind it down. Hey, don't judge, it was the 90s and we were bored!
I had forgotten about this until recently, you see, my wife and I recently joined an athletic club, I've never really been consistent with them but they offered some great childcare options so when we realized we could afford it we jumped on the chance. One of the spaces they have is a group cycling class, a whole room/theater full of exercise bikes, which my wife jumped into. What's great about the setup is that you get to be around and a part of a community as your work out. You get your cadence up, your heart rate up and it's truly a great way to exercise. They even show a whole video of a trail so it appears like you are traveling.
And it got me thinking about that old exercise bike. You see, even with all the bells and whistles, stationary things like those exercise bikes will always fall short of what a bike is. Bikes were created to travel, to see sights, to get from A to B, and to take you somewhere new.
A bike is meant to move you.
Most Christians I know live their entire lives on a stationary prayer life. It is sometimes fun to do but ultimately stagnant. Sometimes we pray with others but we don't actually expect anything to change. We often don't even think about what we're praying, we just nod along with whatever words and being said. Pedaling along with the rest of the group, never actually arriving at the destination.
Prayer is meant to move you.
Authentic prayer will move you to compassion. Prayer will move you to act. Prayer will change your life. Prayer will draw you closer to God. Prayer is powerful and effective and necessary for our lives. John Wesley wrote,
"It is not so much to move God, who is always more ready to give than you to ask, as to move yourselves, that you may be willing and ready to receive the good things he has prepared for you."
So prayer is not our efforts to move God to answer us! Instead, prayer is given to us to move, not God, but ourselves near to the heart of the Father who is ready to give us what we need. Authentic prayer is the realigning of our hearts with a loving Father, who loves to give good gifts to his children. I have found that when I bare my soul and reveal my whole self to God I am given a peace that transcends all understanding. For it is written,
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
I believe a day will come when we will stop playing with prayer, and cease simply pedaling along. I am not just challenging you, but myself as well, let us be moved by authentic prayer. We can approach his throne of grace with confidence, by His mercy and grace.
