“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6)
The Bible teaches us that prayer is among the most important activities we will ever engage in. Everything else we do – including time spent reading Scripture, teaching, preaching, and giving – all fall short without time devoted to prayer. The Apostles are not recorded asking Jesus how to teach or study Scripture, but they did ask Him specifically to teach them how to pray.
But are there certain things that we should or shouldn’t pray about? Are there topics that are too trivial or unimportant to bother God with? The short answer is that nothing whatsoever is “off limits” to God, or for our conversations with Him. No matter how trivial or silly a thing may seem to us (or to others), God is already aware of it. God is omniscient, so every situation, every need, every thought, is already on God’s radar. So why would we try and hide anything from Him? Why would we try to separate our lives into prayer appropriate “for God” segments, and everything else “not-for-God” segments ?
Can I Pray for Something Trivial ?
“But when you pray, go into your room in private, close the door and pray to God your Father, who is unseen. Then your Heavenly Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans did, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:6-8).
So, if God already knows our needs, is it okay to pray for something like a pet who is not well..? How about a sports game you’re involved in..? Or praying for clear traffic as you travel to work..? The simple answer is an absolute, resounding Yes! If these things are important to you, then they are not things you should keep away from God hearing your prayers. Every thought is already known to God, we are His children, so why not direct those thoughts towards your conversation with Him..?
2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ Our Saviour,” and by doing so “we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.”
You may be asking how this verse relates to praying about something like a sports game. God is probably busy keeping the universe in balance, so why should we bother Him with something like a traffic jam which is making us late for work…?
The point is that when we consider topics appropriate for prayer, we are not talking about the importance of a game, a pet,the traffic jam, or anything else that may be troubling us. The point is that we need to make a habit of speaking to God in prayer and listening to Him in every circumstance, with every thought we may have. If we wait to pray because we don’t feel we have anything to say that is worthy of God’s attention, then we must ask ourselves what is worthy of His attention and what is not..? Who gets to make that list, and who enforces it..? God created us and desires a relationship with us, so by limiting what we take to Him in prayer, we are limiting the relationship that He desires and created us to have.
When we spend time in prayer about small things, we will have a personal relationship and communication that holds more meaning when we go to Him with those big things we need to pray about.
Through Jesus, we can truly experience relationship with God. A significant part of that relationship comes through prayer, and a significant part of prayer involves thanking God, praising God, and making our requests known to God. The more time we spend in secret in prayer about anything, the more He will shape our hearts and minds to seek what He seeks, and desire what He desires. Our prayers will become less of a religious duty to discuss religious things, and more of a conversation leading us to seek the heart of God in every aspect of who we truly are.
Is Prayer Really That Important..?
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).
Prayer is not just a topic to be studied, discussed, or read about; it is a vital element that sets the tone for our life in Christ. Each of us has to grapple with the reality of our own faith, our relationship with Jesus Our Saviour and with others, and where we can share His grace in this crazy world of ours.
Since prayer is communication with God who created us, it is a beautiful blessing and privilege offered to us. We often turn to prayer in times of sickness, dire trouble, or when we are attending the assembly with the preacher telling us it’s time for us to pray to Him asking Him to forgive us and to thank Him for His blessings.
But there is so much more for us in prayer than just saying churchy sounding phrases and making spiritual points. Through prayer, we are in communion with the One who made all things, knows all things, and desires to hear from us! God makes it abundantly clear that it His desire that we seek Him in all things, no matter how big or small, and make communication with Him a natural part of our everyday.
Our Saviour Jesus Christ cares for each of us and just before He was led away to be crucified, He prayed to His Heavenly Father which is recorded in the Gospel account of John the Apostle in John 17:1-26…
- Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
- as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
- And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
- I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
- And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
- “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
- Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.
- For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me
- I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
- And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
- Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
- While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
- But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
- I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
- I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
- They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
- Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
- As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
- And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
- “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
- that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
- And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
- I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
- Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
- O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
- And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
That’s just how important it is to pray to our Heavenly Father, even Jesus expressed how He needed to speak to His Father about the things that were on His mind and in His heart that was about to happen. He prayed for His Apostles and made mention of Judas, He prayed everyone that believed in Him that we should be kept away from the evil one. He asked that we be sanctified in the truth and to keep us safe and that we could be made perfect in Him and He wanted His Father who loved Him, to also love us who follow after Him. That just shows even in His darkess moments, He prayed to His Father in heaven, thinking about us that would follow after Him.
In Conclusion
Is prayer really important…? Yes it is.
Can I pray for something trivial…? Yes you can.
Does it matter what we pray about and what we want to ask Him…? You can pray about anything that is on your mind and in your heart as long as it is according to what is taught in scripture, God will answer your prayers. It doesn’t matter how big or small the matter is, Our Heavenly Father wants and desires to hear our prayers.
God knows our hearts because He knows we want to be more like Our Saviour Jesus Our Lord. May God bless us always. Remember He cares for us.
Lesson today was delivered by: Bro Robert H Brown
