My Stuggles with Prayer (Part 1)

Over the past few weeks I've been experiencing a revival of sorts as it pertains to my prayer life. What had been cold and stale for some time has all of a sudden starting to awake like a bud in the beginning stages of springtime. With my "prayer awakening", I'm working through some feelings, thoughts, struggles, or whatever else you want to call them as it deals with prayer. Below are just some things I'm processing. Not really looking for answers right now, just talking, or blogging, out loud.

"True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance. People describe intercession by saying, "It is putting yourself in someone else’s place." That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective." — Oswald Chambers

I like the above quote but what does that say about our prayer list? Should we pray for things on a list or should we be praying for God to change our heart, mind, and perspective so we can better meet the needs of those on our prayer list?

And what about praying persistently? I've always been taught to pray persistently like the widow (Luke 18:1-8) but from what I've read lately (and will preach this Sunday) it appears more and more that our prayers should be given to Jesus and left for Him to deal with. That He doesn't need our constant nagging about what we want or feel like we need. It's when we constantly keep coming back with the same request over and over that we end up taking it back and never allow Him to fully answer it.

Yes. No. Wait. I was also taught that every prayer we could ever pray will be answered in one of those three ways. But isn't that over simplifying things? Would you enjoy a friendship where every conversation ended with yes, no, or wait? Isn't waiting part of every answer from God? What if there really aren't any no and yes answers at all? Should our goal be to give it to God and wait to see how He'll answer it? Not with a yes/no but a when/how?

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