Why Pray?

Most of you know that I am a christian. A lot of you also know that one of my favorite historical people is a man named George Müller. George Muller was a man of prayer. This area of prayer has been the most challenging for me, especially over the last 8 years. Why the last eight years? A lot of the things I have prayed for have not come to pass, especially the things related to my professional goals. I am an artist, not a lawyer, athlete, doctor, etc. This is what I have been made to do. The down side is that we live in a culture where being an artist is more of a hobby, thus to make a living as one is an upward battle right from the beginning. But, I was of the opinion that truly God would bless my efforts. If I work hard at my craft, walk in an upright manner, pray, give, and have faith–things would go well. Well to date things have not gone well. In fact it seems to me that my professional pursuits have been on a slow downward slide over the last 8 years. Which brings me back to prayer.

This slide has brought me to a deeper understanding of prayer.... 1. It is to glorify God. 2. It is to express praise unto God. 3. It is to express thankfulness onto God (things that are and have been). 4. It is to ask for forgiveness for ones lack of faith, selfishness, pride, lust, basically sin. 5. It is to call for help in time of need, dependance. 6. It is to ask to be taken care of on a daily basis.

To my shame... I am afraid that over the last 8 years the focus of my personal prayer has been mostly about the want of monetary success in the area of art. You could even add in here the want of healing, the want of a family, the want of happiness, the want to help the poor. All of these noble, but they may not be the will of God for your life. The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray; started with praise, adoration and emphasized His will be done. Not mans will or even the will of Kurt Aspland "the artist" (as noble as that might be). It seems best to me to put the emphasis on praise, thankfulness and forgiveness in my prayers for the future. Happy Thanksgiving Week Everyone!