I was talking with a friend of mine recently about prayer. He brought up an interesting view that I had never heard before. He believes that prayer should be no more than simply asking for help to follow God’s will.
Asking for help to follow God’s will, I agree, is a good thing. Jesus himself included this in the Lord’s Prayer by saying “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” But he would say that asking for anything at all in addition to that is to try and hold onto control that we ought not to have. By asking God’s will to be done, what is the need then to pray for anything specific, if God’s will is going to be done already?
Shortly before our conversation, I remember praying for help as a father. I was asking for help to love, to be patient, to be kind and gracious. I asked him how that could be bad, as certainly these things would align with God’s will. But he said that simply asking for God’s will to be done in all areas of life already covers this, and I run the risk of asking for something outside of God’s will when I start asking for specifics.
This is certainly an interesting thought, and one I’ve never heard before. I have some thoughts on it, but before I share, I’m curious to hear what you think. Please comment with your thoughts!
