Praying for means, not ends

How often do we pray: 'Father God, I want... x, y and z because...'?

It's something I've really been challenged on lately in my prayer life, in that intimate conversation with God. I do believe that there's a great deal of sense in actually reasoning through what you want with God, not for his benefit but for ours.

It keeps our priorities and our motives in check. If I say 'Lord, I would like a new bike.' That might be a perfectly reasonable prayer in itself but let's add that dreaded word 'because' into the mix.

'Lord, I would like a new bike because...' Well why do I want it? What's the reasoning? Do you see that it opens a path of inquiry for ourselves? We have to follow that path to its logical end as part of prayer.

There are many possible reasons for why I want a new bike. James 4:3 says this: 'You ask [in prayer] and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.'

And this tells us something about God's will for our prayers. They are to be for means towards him rather than ends towards ourselves. Read that again.

You see, if my prayer is 'Lord, I would like a new bike because riding a bike gives me a rush, a thrill and excitement that I don't find in you', do you think he will answer that prayer?
If it is 'Lord, I would like a new bike because my old one's getting a bit rusty and I need the security and the good feeling that comes when people see me riding past on a shiny, new, state-of-the-art, top-of-the-range model', do you think he will be falling over himself to answer that?

But consider this: 'Lord, I would like a new bike because my old one is broken and I need it to ride to see a friend once a week in town who I know is receiving your gospel in our conversations.'

Let's step it up a notch. 'Lord, I want a wife!'
Because... that's my idea of ultimate security - not in your presence, in relationship with you but in a marriage.
Because... I think sex is the most wonderful thing I'm likely to experience here on earth and I want to have it!
Oh dear... those are some rather poor reasons aren't they?

'Lord, I want a wife because I want to try and mirror to them the extent of your love for your people and I want to feel that love myself.' That's a better reason right?!
'Lord, I want a wife because I feel that I will glorify you better in companionship and through that relationship that on my own as a single man.'

Do you see? The first prayers were making marriage an end. Something final, something through which we only satisfy ourselves. The second prayers made marriage the means to something, namely God's glory, the expression of his character.

And that's what all our prayers should, ultimately, be about; God's glory.

So next time you pray for something, with the honesty of your heart and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, tack because onto your prayer. God's not an idiot, he doesn't need you to explain it for him so he goes 'Oh yeah, I can get more glory out of this by doing that!' but you do need to explain it to yourself so that you know that your heart is in the right place. Take yourself through it in conversation, listening to his correction and rebuke.

If we make God's glory expressed in our lives the number one desire of our hearts (which it should be!) then it's true that, through prayer, we will have our desire answered. He will expose our hearts, our motives. Pray for God to draw you nearer, deeper into himself, look for the pathways in your life he has opened to take you there and pray yourself into them.
Pray for the means to God's glory in which lies your ultimate pleasure!