The Precious Priviledge of Prayer~

Daughterhood by Design Reclaiming God's Design for Girls Today September 3, 2009 in Issue 3 2009 By Hannah Pickle~ We may speak to the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe. What a precious privilege! Yet He has given us an even greater privilege—that of calling Him “our Father.” This thought must be an important one because it starts “The Lord’s Prayer,” a model for our prayers. What we think God is like makes a difference in how we talk to Him. If we view God as distant and uncaring, what will our prayers be like? But God is a personal, caring God! I have realized this for quite a while, and as I have been reading the gospels lately, I have noticed how many times Jesus called God “your Father” and “our Father”. God is the most kind, loving, and wise Father you could ever imagine! He understands His children, and only asks them to do what is for their best good. He longs for us to tell Him everything that is on our hearts. He longs to help us with our difficulties. Jesus’ earthly life is a picture of what God is like. He said, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). As we see a clearer picture of what our Heavenly Father is like, our prayers become more meaningful and heartfelt. Our Heavenly Father wants us to talk to Him, as we would to our best friend. Do we only talk to our friends about life’s big events? Of course not! Neither do we have to wait for big things like floods or forest fires to take everything to God in prayer. We may pour out our hearts to Him every day. Actually, we must, for prayer is as important to our spiritual life as breathing is to our physical life. Our Heavenly Father “would have us understand how earnestly and tenderly His heart yearns over us. He invites us to take our trials to His sympathy, our sorrows to His love, our wounds to His healing, our weakness to His strength, our emptiness to His fullness. Never has one been disappointed who came unto Him.”* God wants to hear about everything that concerns us. He is willing and waiting to listen and help us in whatever way is best for everyone. One day I noticed that my watch was missing. I had seen it recently, but where was it now? As the days passed, I would sometimes pray about it, but not really look for it. Weeks went by, and God impressed me several times to look in the pockets of my jackets. But I was lazy. Finally I decided it was time that I looked for it. I started looking in the lightweight jackets’ pockets. Then I looked in my heavyweight jacket’s pockets. There it was! Our Heavenly Father knew where my watch was all along. He had answered right away, but I was slow to accept His answer. Our Heavenly Father knows everything we need before we ask Him. He is eager to help us. But there is a problem; often we don’t realize our need. This makes another problem—not appreciating His help very much. Therefore, He sometimes waits for us to ask so we will appreciate His answer. Will God help me much with my computer course if I don’t ask Him to? What about when we struggle to have a pleasant attitude? Praying and asking God for help every few minutes or seconds always makes things better. I have found this to be helpful on several occasions. Sometimes when we pray for people we can see speedy results. For example, when my siblings get into a disagreement I pray that God will send the Holy Spirit to help things go smoothly. He does, and it makes a difference. But we do not always see such quick results. Have you been praying for someone and do not see a change yet? Don’t give up! Some people have prayed for many years before they saw the results. And yet prayer is more than just making requests; it is also saying “thank you,” and praising God for His goodness. Do you like to hear “thank you?” God does too. The more we return thanks, the more of His goodness we will notice. When we do something for someone and they say “thank you,” it often makes us want to do something more for them. It works in a similar way with prayer. As we ponder all God’s mercies and goodness, we will find that He thinks about our requests as well. It’s fun being thankful. Just get started and see how long your list can grow. And what if you forget to be thankful like I sometimes do? Try again. Do you ever feel like your prayer life is not as meaningful and heartfelt as it should be? Don’t give up! Persevere, and you will see progress. The precious privilege of prayer is yours, for any reason, any place, or any time. God never sleeps. The more I pray and tell it all, And mingle thanks for large and small, And persevere, I sure will see, My Heavenly Father cares for me. -Julianne Pickle ~Hannah Pickle lives in the country with her parents and three younger siblings. She especially enjoys working with plants and bird watching. *Ellen G. White, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing (United States: Pacific Press, 1896) 84-85. Daughterhood by Design