1 Timothy 2:1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

Prayer sure sounds good doesn’t it? To say we pray or to talk about prayer, but to actually pray, to commune with God in both a speaking and listening, is a whole different ball game. 

Oswald Chambers wrote once that prayer is the one incorruptible work we can do for God, where there is no opportunity for pride to step in and take credit for God’s work. It was not by chance that all through the Old Testament God used situations impossible for humans to rectify to demonstrate His Authority – so that human leaders couldn’t take the credit – ie. Abraham, Gideon, Moses, Noah, Samson, Elijah, Joshua, etc… 

I was sitting in the DMV a couple years ago waiting to renew my driver’s license. They were backed up and I had been waiting about an hour or so and I was still probably 15 minutes out and the station was going to close in about 30 minutes. People kept filing in behind me. Finally one of the workers said, “Look we aren’t going to have time for all of you. Some of you will have to come back another time.” At which point, one of the gentlemen who had just walked in was devastated. He started saying all the reasons, decent reasons, as to why he needed to finish his paperwork that night and it couldn’t wait. 

I quietly bowed my head. “God, I am willing to give him my number (my waiting number). Or maybe you have a better way – but please help this man.” I waited for an answer. Within moments, before my number was ever called – the worker called up the man who needed help. I have come to believe that so many times – we are shown situations to volley them up to God – not to play savior. There is nothing wrong with helping others physically and I think we must be ready to do so when God gives us the go ahead, but we must always remember Who truly saves. 

I wish I could say this was always my natural response – and someday I will be able to say it is my natural response! Praise Jesus!… but for now I simply want to remind myself and anyone else that He’s God and we are not and He has come to save. Prayer isn’t just about asking God for things – it is an act of communion for His Glory so that we may discover Life and share it with the world.