Commanding God?

Are we spiritual puppeteers? Look at the words which we use in our worship services: “Give us this day our daily bread”...” Forgive us our trespasses”...“Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit”...”Heal the sick”...”Restore unto us...” Doesn’t it sound, by the words alone, that we’re giving God direct orders? And what about “Hear us, O Lord”...and “Lord, hear our prayer”? Don’t these words seem to instruct God to listen, not that we want him to respond to our petition? When you think about it, how should we address him? We call the pope “Your Holiness,” our president “Mr. President,” the queen of England “Your Majesty,” and her offspring “Your Royal Highness,” but God’s own Son calls him “Abba” [Aramaic for “Daddy”], and suggests that we do the same. Amazing! Getting back to petitioning Daddy, at the very least do you suppose it might be polite to say “please” or “if it be your will” to the Grand Architect of the Universe?

Praying

What happens when we pray? This has been debated by theologians and the rest of us for millenia. We like to believe that God hears us. If we offer prayers of praise or gratitude, all He has to do is hear us. If this gives us warm fuzzies, or a feeling of satisfaction for having done our duty, is that a worthwhile result in itself? However, if our prayers are petitions—asking him for something—and that something comes to pass, are we quick to give him the credit, or do we wonder if it might just be a coincidence? If what we ask for doesn’t happen, perhaps we try to figure out why not. Was He listening? Does He not care? Is He delaying his answer? Is He REALLY saying “no,” or ”later,” or nothing? How can we tell? After decades of anguished deliberation, I have concluded that the primary purpose of my prayer is to bring me closer to God, my will closer to his. If I’m looking for any other answer, whether or not my petition is answered my way is incidental. The closer I become to him [talking to him, listening for and to him, reading about him, thinking about him, sharing him, worshipping him], the more my will seems to align itself with his. THAT is the precious result of my praying, the golden secret of a happy life!