If your are like most Americans you enjoy pickles (86% in fact)! I personally enjoy baby dill pickles, on a hot summer day, with all the other family BBQ sides to go along with it - hot dog on a bun, potato salad, fresh watermelon, and lemonade. Just writing about it makes my mouth water.
Have you ever given much thought as to how our beloved pickles become so delicious? Let's dive in for moment... First you you have to grow the cucumbers (plant, water, weed, wait, water some more, weed some more, wait, and so on). Then once they are the perfect size and color - you need to clean them up, trim or cut them, make the brine (hello vinegar and salt), and prepare the jars for canning. Then place the cucumbers, dill, garlic, spices, and brine in the cans. Next up - seal the jars and then boil the cans in a pot. Let cool, label the jars, and the store them. Finally- wait three weeks before opening and enjoying your new delicious pickles.
Sounds like a lot of work, am I right? But also so worth it to bite into that crispy, delicious, green, salty, dill flavored treat.
Did you know that our prayer lives are much like pickling? Prayer can require preparation, planting of seeds, watering, a whole lot of waiting, trial and error, processing, and testing. But the results are always worth it! Prayer is so powerful...
Prayer gives us peace: 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).
Prayer helps us to be more confident: And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him (1 John 5:14).
Prayer is like having God on speed dial: Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you (Jeremiah 29:12) and the Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (Psalm 145:18) and also therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24).
Prayer can protect us: But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).
Prayer can heal us: 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 (James 5:16).
Prayer is so powerful, even if in the moment it doesn't feel like it. Often we come to prayer with an expectation that God will move, fulfill our requests, or make a certain situation better. Often he does respond, he does make a move, but not always in the way you desired or asked. Please don't be discouraged in thinking prayer doesn't work- because it truly does. If you are a skeptic, I challenge you stop asking "what if my prayer doesn't work?" and instead start asking "but what if it does work?".
By now I am guessing you may be saying something to the tune of "I know, I know, I know already... But I am just not good at prayer or I am not comfortable praying in groups or I am just not the praying type". I call your bluff and raise you two pickles ;)
When we were all born we were not good at expressing our emotions- we just wailed whenever we needed something. And when we were toddlers we were not the "toilet trained" type and often relied on those magical pull-up underwear. And when we were teens we were not the "pay my bills on time" kind of person (some of us still might be learning those lessons).
The matter of truth is we don't simply get better at something unless we continually try, practice, stumble, try again, and eventually succeed. It takes some degree of determination, effort, and faith to get better at something. Our prayer lives are really not any different than say learning how to ride a bike, baking a cheesecake, or speaking a new language.
So if you are looking forward to getting those training wheels off and riding the "big boy bike", here are some next steps I recommend you take to improve your prayer life:
1. Decide what it is you wish God would do in your life. Ultimately what are you are wanting to pray for or through? In the book "Circle Maker" by Mark Batterson, he reveals how effective it is to pray BIG prayers. In one of the chapters he suggests making your prayers visible and tangible by writing them on a rock and then displaying that rock in a public space in your home or office. Having these daily reminders helps us focus on what we should be praying for each and every day.
2. Make prayer a daily habit. First determine a quiet, calm, ideal "prayer place" and time for you to pray. Be sure there won't be any distractions (ahem children) and you won't feel the need to multitask (cough, cough... the kitchen dishes are looking dirty at me again). Second, set an alarm on your phone every day for the same time and immediately go to your "prayer place" and pray once the alarm goes off for two minutes. Use the prayer rocks above to help remind you what to pray for or through.
3. When ending your prayer time be sure to give thanks. Thank God for all that he has already done and all that he will do. Remember- we want his will over our lives (because it is far better, cooler, sexier, more dope than we could ever dream up for ourselves).
4. Expect to hear from God. We need to expect his presence, his voice in our minds or on hearts, and his tiny little miracles. If we aren't looking for them on a daily basis, we will NEVER hear or see them. Act on that still small voice, those gentle nudges to do something that may seem odd, or pray for a friend or family member impressed on your mind or heart, and then tell them about it. You might just find that God is much closer to you than you ever imagined possible!
5. Don't just pray alone, but also pray with people. Pray with your friends, your spouse, your kids, your family, church family, and so on. Prayer is even more powerful when we are all in agreement, praying for the same things, together! Prayer in groups might seem intimidating or scary at first, but I promise that it is always worth it.
Prayer is much like working out at a new gym. It can be awkward at first. It takes some time to get your bearings, decide on a routine, and find some new like-minded workout friends. But practice makes progress and life is so much easier to enjoy when we have good friends by our sides cheering us on, supporting us, and praying over our lives and all circumstances that surround us. Flex those prayer muscles - because baby they look good on you!