Nougat 31

What was the last prayer God answered for you? As in the most recent. Do you remember the details of the request? How did you feel about the answer, does it make you want to pray more? Please receive today’s Holy Nougat As we reflect on the verses of our nougat, I invite us to note the reordering of the flow.

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭4 & 3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We all have had all our prayers answered; but not always in the affirmative. And the opening question referred to our tendency of seeing answered prayer as the one which God said ‘yes’ to. Of course, if you responded to God’s ‘no’, the follow-up questions still stand – do we recall what it was that we last requested, and did God’s answer increase our desire to pray even more?

Prayer takes many forms: a heartfelt cry to our Maker; shouts of thanksgiving and joy; deep groans beyond words from our spirit to God’s Spirit; whispered requests in moments of need or distress; and several others. What’s worth noting is that often we don’t stop to think about why we are praying, or how we approach prayer.

Do we see prayer as a chore, a necessity, a transaction or a blessing? Some of us pray because it is our duty. God says that we ought to pray, so we pray. If that’s our perspective, are we expecting God to answer us, and is that reflected in our approach to prayer? Some of us can’t live without prayer; it’s our life line. We can’t do anything without praying, so our words come readily. If that describes us, does our approach to prayer feel natural? Of course, there are some of us who treat prayer like a bank machine – offer prayer, expect immediate response. If that’s us, do we have moments when we don’t approach God, because we’re still waiting for that last answer? And if we do actually go to pray again, do we really expect God to answer, or is it just lip service? We might also see prayer as an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God. In those cases, how do we approach prayer? Does it vary from situation to situation or are we joyful regardless?

The nougat shows the psalmist was either offering a praise report about a recent request – ‘I prayed and God delivered (ie answered) my plea’ – or, the psalmist was encouraging the spirit. While the intro suggests that this was a praise report; it might also have been repeated the next time the psalmist and others from the wider community needed a reminder that God answers prayer. Even the impossible things. And it would definitely influence their approach to prayer.

So, the next time we get ready to go to God in prayer, might we consider a prayer that was answered positively and allow it to influence our approach.

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May all we seek be found in Christ