A Life Worth Living

I was in my sixth year of primary school (6^th grade) when my friends and I felt compelled to spend everyday after school praying at our neighborhood church. That year a play called “Heavens gates and hells flames,” was making rounds in schools and churches. Watching the play brought home the reality of Hell. I knew that was a place I did not want to go. The fear of being left behind was real. So more than anything, my friends and I wanted to be ready for Jesus’s return. Praying was the solution. As I look back at that time in my life, the fear of being left behind drove me to prayer. I confessed my sins, but I was not quite sure that I had gotten all of them, so I had to keep going back. This lasted for about a year but slowly and surely as life went on, the message of hell moved to the back burner of my mind, and my prayer life dwindled. I think of times I have prayed because I wanted God to help me with something and once the prayers were answered either with a yes or a no, I found my prayer life would also change. While fear and challenges in life can be powerful motivators to pray, I would like to propose that they are not the best motivators to a consistent prayer life. 

In the gospel of Mathew, when Jesus makes an invitation for people to come to him. He does not call those who have it all figured out, or those who are strong and capable, His invitation goes to the weak, the weary, those with burdens. (Math 11:28-29) These people had nothing to offer, and He is not asking them to offer anything, rather, He is willing to give them what they need. A place to rest, to be refreshed, to be revived, and abide. This invitation extends to us and our burdens. This is not a give and take kind of relationship, rather we are the recipients and God is the giver. Why does God give humanity anything? John 3:16 answers this for us, because He Loves the world. And his biggest display of Love was sending his son to die on the cross, therefore giving us access to Him. 

If we are to obey the command to pray without ceasing (Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:4-7, Colossians 4:2-4), If we are to come boldly with all kinds of prayers, and persist in our prayers, what then is a better motivator? Love is. There is no fear in Love (1^st John 4:18). Paul in Ephesians prays for the believers to know the full extent of God’s Love, even though it can not be fully explained. A Love that surpasses all boundaries. A love that will cause them to mature in their faith.

David in trying to describe God’s love says it’s as high as the heavens are above the earth. A figure of speech to communicate, something immeasurable. This amazing Love is not because we loved God, but because He has loved us. 

Love is the basis of any relationship. When we understand how much God loves us, we can still pray whether we are in crisis or not. We can still pray even when he doesn’t answer prayer the way we want because our prayers are motivated by love.

Take some time and think about what motivates you to pray. Is it a crisis, needs, health issue, children, family, fears? All those concerns should be taken to God. But why not pray from Ephesians 3:18? Pray that you would have the ability to comprehend with all the saints the breadth, the length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Pray that God would help your prayer life be motivated by Love.