#solidsteps

Hey guys, I'm Amy, I’m in year twelve and I am studying far too much maths and science to be considered sane at this point. I can honestly say that last year the idea of writing this blog would have been terrifying to me but this year’s teachings in SU have really challenged me to be more active in my faith and to keep challenging myself, hence in writing this blog for all of you lovely people.  

I wanted to write about prayer because of all the recent troubles in the world and how desperate situations are globally; concerning ISIS, fear and violence. But I wanted to bring it back to basics because frankly in a day filled with homeworks, coursework, and exam preparation it can be hard to find time for God. 

 Let’s face the facts: we're not very good at prayer. Sin, now that's a different story; we seem to be doing fairly well there - but prayer, well, ever since the disciples slumbered in the garden of Gethsemane, it seems like it's got us well and truly beat. Or has it? Lately, God has been rousing the Church with a desire to tune into the things that set His heart on fire and to pray accordingly. Strip away the kneeling and the old English language and prayer is basically communication with God. There are many types of prayer: confession, adoration, thanksgiving, and so forth. In this though I want to explore only one aspect of prayer: asking. This is known in the trade as intersession, and it is exactly what people have been rediscovering lately. It's a world away from my previous attempts at prayer, which always ended up with me dribbling onto my sleeve as I fell into a deep, deep sleep.

But how much prayer is enough? An hour out of twenty four doesn't sound like much at all but the thought of a four hour quiet time would send most of us into a deep panic. The truth is that we need to learn to relax a little and know that life can be a prayer, and we need to spend time communicating with our Father in Heaven. However, while it is possible to communicate with someone who you love without saying anything, there comes a time when there's nothing left to do but have a good chat. Instead of making prayer and intersession a legalistic 'you ought to say your prayers, you ought to have your quiet time,' it is helpful to get back to basics and find out exactly what it is that drives us to pray. In Luke 11:1-10 (NIV), Jesus described four steps to a solid prayer life:

 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins,     for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

 1. The need

Like all good detective novels, there are clues scattered all around the Bible. In the text quoted above, Jesus does some major hint dropping. The scenario of an out-of-town friend turning up shows four conditions for prayer, without which prayer is dull and lifeless. The host is in desperate need of a bit of food, so desperate that he wakes up his friend in the middle of the night. I wouldn't get up in the middle of the night unless it was really, really important and I loved them more than I love my bed (which is a lot) and so the host fulfils the first condition for prayer - he had a need.

 2. Nothing to give.

The cupboard was bear; there was no sign of the necessary previsions. Realizing that he cannot come up with the goods himself, the host knows that he needs help from somewhere else. In order to understand prayer, we need that our own inelegance, money, popularity or resources cannot meet the needs of the world or even the specific needs of those around us.

 3. I know a God who can.

The host knows his neighbour has plenty of the necessary provisions. Do we believe that God has exactly what we need? If we do, then well get on our knees just like the man who went to his neighbour's door, and we will...

 4. Keep on asking.

Luke 11:7-8 refers to the toast hunter's boldness as the deciding factor in the neighbour getting out of bed. The footnote that accompanies the story suggests that the word 'boldness' could be described as 'persistence'. Clearly, it's so boldly persistent that it’s verging on cheeky. However, when we start praying, we can sometimes feel as though God is tucked up in his bed and can't be bothered to answer. At those times we give up, thinking that it would be rude to keep on asking; but it is at those times more than any other that we need to do as we're told and keep on knocking on the door, determined to wake up the whole neighbourhood if necessary.

     In the end, we need to believe that God wants us to pray and to feel as passionately about things as he does. I'll love you and leave you with a tremendously relevant quote from a Jesus Culture song - Set a fire.

                           "Set a fire down in my soul, that I contain that I can't control, I want more of you God."