Go Wings!

I found myself doing something yesterday that I promised myself I would never do again. I prayed for something completely out of my own selfish desire. I’m sure most of my requests are rather self-centered, but not since the days I prayed that Santa would bring me the die cast Voltron (still selling for over $100 on Ebay over 20 years later!) have my requests been so egocentric. I actually asked God to help the Red Wings win yesterday. Overcome by the intense anxiety brought on by seeing my favorite team losing to what I feel is a rather mediocre hockey team, I was motivated to seek God’s intervention. I use this example not to make this article my own personal confessional, but to lead you to consider the meaning of prayer. The Red Wings lost the game, but I did not loose faith. Maybe a little girl of pure faith from Colorado prayed a little harder than me. Maybe God wanted me to recognize that the purpose of prayer is greater than sports.
Looking at scripture, there are several purposes we find for prayer. John 14:13 states that when our requests are made through Jesus, glory is brought to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to pray continually to do God’s will. In Act 4:23-31 we find a powerful prayer that resulted in several individuals being filled with the Holy Spirit. They use prayer to praise God and ask him to give them the boldness to be God’s witnesses. In Matthew 9:38, Jesus tells his disciples to ask God to “send out workers into his harvest field.” We are supposed to make our requests known to God. Our continual prayers need to fit our personal needs. We have to also remember to give God the glory and pray that God will give us the desire the serve others and bring people to know him. This is our mission and purpose. It is something that we should never take for granted.