Prayer is powerful. Prayer is key to success. God hears the prayers of the hurting, the troubled, and those at the end of their rope.<\/p>\n
Prayer is also used as an excuse. Magical thinking. A way to blame God for not coming through after we’ve painted ourselves into a corner.<\/p>\n
As a pastor, I have seen couples, families, and students engage in the magical thinking of prayer. They use prayer as a\u00a0genie\u00a0in a bottle to make wishes from God. \u00a0 Prayer becomes a magical incantation to get God to do our will. \u00a0 Oh, I’m guilty too. \u00a0 I think of how many times I’ve asked God to bless my plans before considering if my plans synced up with His plans. I rush through prayer,\u00a0 I become repetitive or ritualistic. \u00a0I think I’ve “thanked God for the beautiful day” at least two million times.<\/p>\n
Too often, we behave our way into bad situations. We spend too much. We give too little. We bought more house than we should have.\u00a0 Our shopping sprees went on for too long. \u00a0Our “secret credit card” went out to eat more than Boss Hog and Jabba the Hut combined. \u00a0 We behaved our way into a pit. \u00a0Then we want to “pray” our way out of something we behaved our way into. \u00a0 \u00a0God loves us too much to wave a magical wand and let us go back to unwise patterns.<\/p>\n
Jesus offers us a pattern for prayer that can fix the “why” we behaved into this situation. \u00a0 It can get at the root of why we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. \u00a0 Families, marriages, and nations can pretend consequences don’t matter, but the good book says, “Only the truth can set us free.”<\/p>\n
Notice how prayer and finances connect in the words of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Our Father in heaven, \u00a0Hallowed be Your name.\u00a010<\/sup> Your kingdom come.\u00a0Your will be done \u00a0On earth as\u00a0it is in heaven. <\/em><\/p>\n The whole prayer begins by focusing our hearts on God. \u00a0His plan. His kingdom. His will.\u00a0 Then, after we get our heart set on the TRUTH that His way is the best way, and it is only then, we are ready to think about what we need versus what we want.\u00a0 The reason I spend too much or save too little or give too late is because somewhere in my mind’s eye is “my kingdom.” \u00a0I don’t give my tithe until I see whatever is left over… \u00a0Hmmm, yes, after I’ve spent my money on “my will,” “my kingdom,” and “my name,” \u00a0then I’ll pass out the leftovers on earth as it is in Hovind ~ Oops, I mean Heaven. \u00a0 Jesus shows us that until we get out hearts set on His Kingdom, we won’t get our budgets or spending in control. \u00a0 We’ll know we are “on to something,” when we start assessing our daily needs.<\/p>\n