When we pray, and when God changes things in response, there is a continuing outcome. The more we pray, the more we will experience God at work. And the more we see God at work, the more automatic it will become to go to God with future needs. So not only is the present transformed when we pray but the experience also shapes the future: the repeated experience of God at work in answer to prayer prompts a new habitual response to life’s challenges. The Apostle Paul got to the point where he delighted in his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9,10). He didn’t begin with this attitude. Rather, he got there through a process of constantly taking his needs to God and constantly seeing God respond. As a result, it got to the point where Paul would see moments of inability and need as opportunities to see God at work. But the effect goes even beyond this. When God transforms one life this becomes a sign to others; the light that gets in through the cracks of your life will shine out of those same cracks to others. When God does something great in your life, it should be difficult to keep it to yourself. In fact, you should not keep it to yourself. The thanksgiving psalms are the result of people testifying to what God has done and exhorting others to take their needs to him. This is explicitly expressed in Psalm 40:9: “I will proclaim your righteousness in the great assembly.” Those who pray see God work and those who see God work become witnesses to his goodness.
What is your greatest need right now? Take that to God.
Read Psalm 40
