WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU PRAY?
1 KINGS 18:38-46
Let me as you a question that might seem contradictory, “What do you see when you pray?” As a camp counselor for a summer I was given supervision of the youngest campers for the week. Ever experienced living with six and seven year olds in a cabin for 12 days? I remember one night leading a prayer time just after ‘lights out.’ One of my six year olds prayed: ‘Dear God, thank you for everything you have made, the birds, the trees, the rocks, the horses, the barn, our counselors, our cabin, our bunks, our light, our fan…’ As I wondering how much longer he was going to pray I opened my eyes and saw him still deep in prayer but looking and pointing around the cabin at the things he was thankful for.
Let me ask it again, “What do you see when you pray?” On one hand, you probably don’t see anything, because your eyes are closed. Or there may be times when you find it hard because you don’t expect anything to happen; perhaps it doesn’t seem like it does any good. Your words bounce off the ceiling, it seems pointless, and you have to force yourself. But what if prayer was more second nature? What if you didn’t have to force it because you were convinced prayer unleashes the power of God?
When you first look at this passage you may think, ‘There’s not much here.’ But look closer. Elijah was a man just like us. Yet he became man of prayer. Let me expand on that. Elijah was fearful, sinful, weak, busy, distracted, just like you and I. But his prayers were heard. Elijah became convinced that God had heard and would answer his prayers. His prayers were means by which God would unleash supernatural power and accomplish things. Does that sound attractive?
We know that prayer is talking with God who created and runs the universe. But we are all frustrated with prayer. Why didn’t God come through? Why didn’t God answer? Yes, we know that we should pray. It is a duty; the Bible says “pray continually.” But doesn’t mean that we want to pray or that we do. In fact, being told that something is a duty that you are obligated to do can actually have the reverse effect. Suppose you see an old friend after many years. You promise to get together again, to keep in touch. You exchange email addresses and phone numbers. Weeks pass. You haven’t followed up on what you know you should have done. Then months pass. You see your friend’s name and cringe. You feel guilty. After a year goes by you haven’t picked up a pen. What happened? The obligation that you should have done has been overwhelmed by guilt at not having done it sooner. Prayer is not an obligation as much as it is essential for life itself. What do you see as you pray? Here are three mental images that I hope will stimulate your prayer life:
1. Talk to God as a sinner. Get the picture of what has just happened in 1 Kings 18. Fire descended in response to Elijah’s prayer. Whoof! The prophets of Baal are seized. Elijah tells Ahab that he hears the sound of rain coming. Then he puts his head between his knees and prays. Think about that. If there was any time that I would feel confident about myself and my prayers, it would be now. I would be doing a victory dance and giving high fives. ‘Wow! God, did you see that? Did you see the look on Ahab’s face? Did you see the prophets of Baal run? How about that fat one that waddled away? Did we show them or what?’
It would have been a natural moment of vindication for Elijah. But he didn’t celebrate the victory because he still saw himself as a sinner. This is a healthy image to have of yourself when you pray. Even the cherubs who had never sinned that Isaiah saw (chapter 6) covered their faces in the presence of God. Talking to God as a sinner means being conscious of my need; by nature I am weak, impatient, impulsive, self-centered, and tempted to ‘live by the seat of my pants.’
Right now as I serve the God of the Bible, I need of Jesus—as I pray, teach, or serve. I have mixed and impure motives, even in best things that I do. And the best things that I have ever done are still tainted and unacceptable to a truly holy God. Sometimes when you preach, you get a sense that ‘something is happening,’ that the Holy Spirit is speaking to heart of someone and getting through. That doesn’t always happen, of course. And even when I am not aware of it, the Holy Spirit can touch someone powerfully. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the sermon is good. And it doesn’t make you proud. It makes you very humble and grateful that God did something bigger than you could possibly have done. It is a reminder that God really is on his throne.
Hebrews 4:16 says we are to come ‘boldly before throne of grace.’ But boldness does not mean arrogance. The NIV is more helpful by using the word: ‘confidence.’ But always in prayer we should be reminded that we approach a holy God on his throne. Jesus taught disciples to pray, ‘Our Father who art in heaven…’ You could paraphrase: “Our Father who is seated on his holy throne.” If you see yourself that way, it will affect the way you approach God in prayer. It is obvious that Elijah is very aware of it. He has just seen God accept his sacrifice and consume it. Yet he is full of awe.
2. Talk to God as a servant. When you pray, you are not an independent contractor but a dependent servant. It is His will and His glory that you want to see accomplished. God is not your servant. Remember Alfred the Butler, Batman’s faithful servant? When did Alfred bark out orders to Batman? Never. Alfred was not independent. Without Batman, Alfred was nothing. He was totally dependent. No Batman? No Alfred! Take that to heart. When you pray, the true emphasis is not your will or what you want to accomplish, but what you are trusting Him to do. The goal is to become more in love with Him and more dependent upon Him.
Most common way people pray is to read off list of things they want to see accomplished. It is sort of like going to Santa with a shopping list. Years ago I heard a Christian pray, “God we asked you for ____; it hasn’t happened yet. And; frankly I’m a little put out with you right now.” I was shocked. Does that make you uncomfortable? It should because it is the wrong picture. Prayer is not: “My kingdom come, my will be done.” It is seeking God’s agenda as a servant.
Remember the fiery confrontation at Carmel? What a great idea. Where did Elijah come up that? "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command” (1 Kings 18:36). It wasn’t Elijah’s idea, but God’s. “Dear God, what is your agenda? What do you want to accomplish?” I believe that this is the reason Elijah is content to pray seven times without being anxious. It wasn’t because there is something magical about the number seven, but because he was sure of what God promised.
One of things that keeps us from praying is that we’re too busy. We’re always on the run—working overtime, carpooling kids, going to church, socializing with friends, etc. We just can’t fit prayer in. Ouch. It shows our misplaced perspective and need for an attitude adjustment. We instinctively think in terms of fitting God into our lives and our agenda instead of vice-versa.
Richard Pratt told a story about meeting a woman in a church who was known to be a prayer warrior. “How did it happen” he asked? She explained that she had been widowed and left with a son to raise. She devoted herself to making him into a fine Christian man. She read books, sacrificed and sent him to best schools. And she spent lots of time with him. She was sure she followed God’s agenda. But she confessed later, “I hardly ever prayed for him.” She went on to explain that her son had committed at 25. “Only then did I see that I depended too much on myself and not enough on God.” Now she devotes herself to prayer, because she sees herself as his servant.
There are two passages that are often misused about prayer. Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Another is Matthew 18:19 "If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." The sense of these verses is not that we are telling God what He should do. Nor is it that we agree with someone else about what we want God to do. Rather, it is that He has communicated to us through prayer what His will is. As Elijah prayed for rain and continued seven times until it came, it wasn’t that God had to send rain because Elijah wouldn’t shut up about it. As Elijah prayed he became more and more sure that God was telling him He was going to keep his promise at that time.
Get it? Prayer isn’t lining up all people/ prayers to twist God’s arm to conform to your will. Prayer is the means by which we seek and ascertain His will. It is the means of releasing what God already planned to do and has in store for you. And it is rejoicing in his promise to be faithful, a time when He lays things on your heart that are near to His heart. Still with me? It is simple. Picture God on His throne, and talk to Him as a sinner. Picture God lining up His plans for your life, and talk to Him as His servant. And finally,
3. Talk to God as a son. The disciples were shocked when they heard Jesus pray. He talked to God as His Father and taught them to do same--even to use the intimate Aramaic name of "Abba." Now I can’t prove Elijah talked to God like that here. The text doesn’t directly say that. And it is true that normally in the Old Testament God wasn’t thought of in those terms. But Elijah became so familiar with God by the brook, that I am confident he understood that he was God’s child. This is how Jesus described prayer. And it is revolutionary! Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him (Matt 7:7ff).
When we lived in Georgia, I was working in the yard when my son Tyler (4) came out to help. I was building a rock wall in the back yard, cementing the stones one by one. He asked question after question. He wanted to know what I was doing all that. ‘And what are you going to do after finish that? Can I help?’ He asked questions because he believed that I knew what I was doing, and that I understood the big picture of what the yard should look like. He asked because he wanted to understand my vision. I took a pencil and paper and drew it all out for him. When he finally understood, he was ecstatic: "Dad—You’re best Dad in whole world." He ran around the yard full of excitement.
Several minutes later he was still running around with incredible energy and joy. He heard the sound of a chain saw next door. My neighbor was trying to move the stump of a large oak tree he cut down. As my neighbor struggled to roll a huge stump of about 300 lbs, Tyler (still brimming with excitement) blurted out: "My Dad can lift that all by himself!" And my neighbor immediately responded: “Then you go get your dad!” What did talking with me in the backyard do for him? It made him secure as my son. It made him confident that I was in control. It made him feel close to me. And it gave him incredible energy and great joy.
With that in mind, note what happened here in 1 Kings 18:46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. Know how far that is? It’s 15-20 miles as crow flies! Where did Elijah get his energy and zeal? It’s simple. He prayed as son.
One Sunday as finished preparing for that day’s worship, my youngest son Chandler found me. He didn’t know I heard him creep down the stairs. Then I saw peek around the door cautiously. I got up and went into den, then sat down with him in my lap. I rubbed his back and hugged him. I told him again how much I love him, and how glad he is my son. His face beamed. And he put his arms around my neck. Prayer is like that. Yes, it is coming before God as a sinner with tears. And it is coming to God as a servant in order to to know his will. But it is also climbing up as a child into lap of the God who is seated on throne, feeling his embrace, and talking to him as son. All three pictures are true.
Christianity is about a loving Father who wants to forgive you as a sinner, a Father who wants you to see the picture of what He has planned and intends to do and your place in those plans, a Father who wants to tell you how much he loves you and wants to spend time with you. Where else can you find that?
But remember, not just anyone can come into God’s presence and crawl into his lap. The throne He sits on is holy. Before you climb into his lap you must first be His child and be adopted into His family by receiving Jesus Christ as your savior. Then Jesus the Savior becomes Jesus the brother who says, "Come. Let me show way to the Father’s lap!"
Now tell me about your mental images of prayer. What do you see when you pray? See yourself as a sinner. See yourself as a servant. See yourself as a son. 1 John 3:1 says, "See how great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. And that is what we are." Say, do you know the way to the Father’s lap?
