The Heavenly Cellphone (Prayer & The Full Armor of God)

For those of us born in the last twenty-five years, cellphones are probably deemed as necessary, normal parts of our culture. It's a little bizarre to think about a time where phones actually were attached by those curly wires or worse...a time where we had to write letters to chat with friends across the states. Eesh...talk about the stone age right?

It's also pretty common to hate the darn cellphones. I mean, who's mom calls them a million times a day...even if they're twenty-one and clearly responsible enough to handle life. (I'm only twenty...I talk to my mom two million times a day sometimes...sigh.)

Yeah. It's pretty obnoxious knowing that you're parents want you to stay in contact with them, am I right? Who here has ever ignored a call from your parents because you just couldn't deal with them?
Sometimes we don't even think about calling our parents until something goes wrong! But the great thing about cellphones is that the second you need your parents, you can dial them up right away.

You know, after all, you're parents called a million and one times because they care about you. They want to keep a relationship with you. And you know they'll pick up right away.

Well here's the thing... God feels the same way. Yeah, I know He doesn't actually have a cellphone to dial us up on. He gave us another tool, one that doesn't need charged, replaced every year, or a special case to keep it safe. It's called Prayer, and we all have struggled with it at some point in our lives.

What's Prayer?

Prayer is communicating with God. It sounds easier than it is, of course. It's the baring of our spiritual and physical needs, desires, all of our flaws, our sins, everything to God.

How Do I Pray?

Most people probably think prayer requires some long, mumbo jumbo college-y words or Latin phrases. It doesn't, it just may sound better that way coming from the Pastor's mouth. God doesn't care if you sound like you've taken College English or Latin 101. He wants to know our struggles and our fears, not our massive vocabulary.

Prayer is a devotion to your relationship with God. So how should you pray? That's unique and different for each person. But you must pray in earnestness, believing with a whole and humble heart.

The Bible gives some direction on how and when to pray:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Remember also, that prayer means admitting your sins to God. Yes, He already knows what they are, and yes He has already forgiven them. But admitting your faults proves your devotion and shows that you acknowledge your human weakness. It shows you acknowledge your need for God and your need of His blessing and forgiveness. Doesn't every parent want to know when they are needed?

Choose to pray when you are compelled. Pray often. It can be on a bus stop, it can be in the line at the grocery store, it can be right before bed or a big test. Lift up your words to God, He is always listening...and He's great enough not to care if you use incense, Latin, or a special room to pray.

Why Do We Pray?

You know when you call your mom to tell her everything going wrong in the world, hoping she can fix it? That's often why we pray, too. But that is only the superficial, personal level of prayer. Prayer is a power weapon. It can be used for peace, for strength, for guidance... I've even prayed to pass that one math test in college (and I did...that definitely took divine intervention.)

You can pray for anything, really. But prayer is not just a tool to fix our lives. Prayer is also the way we ask for our souls to be cleaned and strengthened. It is a shield from Sin, just as Faith is, and a sword against Satan. When we pray we should not pray only for ourselves.

God has given us directive when it comes to prayer.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. " (Ephesians 6:18)

So yes, we are supposed to pray for all kinds of reasons. But we are also supposed to pray for our fellow man. Many do not know the Lord's light, or want to. Many are struggling with accepting Him into their lives right now. It is our task to be there for them, to be forgiving and understanding, to be the guides to the Lord, and to be the warriors against Satan on this Earth. We do this through prayer.

I try to pray for the leaders of nations as often as I can. I pray for my spouse, my family, for those fighting over seas...you can pray for anyone. We should pray for everyone. God has given us this tool, and it should be used. It is our responsibility and our blessing. Remember, with Great Power comes Great Responsibility--thanks Spidey!

Do Prayers Get Answered?

That's a hard question. The answer is yes...and no.

How many of us have prayed for something sinful or selfish? Have you ever asked that your high school dream boat would ask you out? Or prayed that your work nemesis would sit on a tack? God doesn't answer all prayers. We aren't spoiled children, to be pleased with His power. We are His loved children, and every good parent wants their child taken care of, but not spoiled rotten.

So what prayers get answered?

From what the Bible says, God is pretty specific when it comes to answering prayer.

The righteous prayers are answered. "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." (Psalm 34:17) That's why we have to confess our sins to the Lord. The unrighteous will not have their prayers answered. Their prayers will have no strength and no power from the Lord. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."(James 5:16)

The humble prayers are answered. The Lord does not answer the prayers of those believing to be His equal. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10)

Above all others, prayers that follow the Lord's path are answered.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

Remember that our struggles help us grow in Faith. Our struggles bring us closer to God because we reach out to Him. Just like parents letting their kids leave the nest and explore the world, God knows that we will return when we need Him. But like parents, God also knows there are times we need to tough out the spiritual warfare to become stronger. If we are coddled and always protected, we would be unable to stand against Satan's whims against us on this Earth. Sometimes our prayers aren't answered because they can't be, not yet. There is a time for everything under the sun, and that includes a time for prayer being answered.

A Prayer For You

I don't know all of you reading this, but I'm thankful you do. I know that for each of us, life can be hard and we all have our battles to face. But tonight, I want you to know I'll pray for you. I don't know your names, but if you have a prayer request, please let me know via my contact page email.

Tonight, I challenge you to turn your prayers to the Lord. I'm not very good at prayer, but if you need direction, maybe try something like this:

"Lord I pray that you would touch my life in marvelous ways. I pray that you would grant me patience and guidance through all things. I pray that you would extend your hand to those around me, and that you would show me how to help them, and how to help myself. I pray for your strength tonight, Lord. I pray for your forgiveness and understanding. Finally, I pray you would open my heart to you, let me get to know you, and learn to turn to you for all things. Amen."