I was in my first year of seminary when I heard this paradigm of prayer. My professor told me, "Prayer isn't meant to change God, it's meant to change you."
What? I remember thinking he was delusional. Prayer at the time was like a vehicle to get God to do things for me or to change my circumstance. “O Lord, do this, do that, send your angels to…. (fill in the blank), help me to… (fill in the blank again)”. I mean a lot of filling in the blank – just say your request on a ready-made petition, adding your personal stuff, and throwing in the Name of Jesus at the end of it.
I didn't realize it at the time, but my
understanding of God was completely transactional. "If I lived up to my
end of the bargain, then God should live up to His". Quid pro quo.
It's been many years since that class, that morning devo and prayer with closed eyes when my beloved Professor and mentor opened my eyes. I no longer have the scarcity mindset (hopefully), but realize that God has already poured out all of heaven on my behalf. Already. Did I already say already?
My perception of life in this space-time continuum turned from 3D to 4D, by adding a new dimension. So, my prayers have changed. I no longer ask God to move. I thank Him for moving and I invite Him to help me see Him at work. A moving unmovable God! How cool is this paradoxical truth!
How about your prayer life?
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