Listen to me God...?

I read Psalm 54 this morning and verse two struck a chord in my heart. "O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. Ps 54:2

I know you, like me, have wondered if God hears our prayers at times and what we could do to 'get his attention' or increase the probability that he will hear and act. As I thought about this wrestling of the soul regarding prayer, I remembered what Jesus taught about prayer that will be answered in John 14.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

If you or I want to be able to pray effectively, like James speaks of the effective prayers of a righteous man, we must first believe in Jesus. This is belief that sits at the core of our being and shapes our values and everyday behavior. If we believe in Jesus, that he is Lord of the universe--Creator, Sustainer, and the One and Only Savior--then we live with passion for him that is observable to others and a sense of urgency that keeps us focused on his mission. In short, according to these verses, if we believe in him we will do the works he did (and even greater! what a statement, and quite a mystery indeed). What you believe is what you live, the rest is just religious talk.

This faith in Jesus gives us opportunity to have an audience with the Triune God. He answers the prayers that we pray "in his name." This is no magic formula that you can tack on to the end of your prayer in hocus-pocus fashion that guarantees its effectiveness. The key to understanding what Jesus means when he teaches that we must pray "in his name" is found in what he says next: "this I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Prayer in the "name of Jesus" is prayer that is in line with the heart of Jesus. It means to pray God's will, for God's glory, not just to ask God to meet our selfish needs.

God, give us your heart. Teach us to pray effectively in Jesus name. Grant us life-transforming faith so that our lives will reflect you and show hope to the hopeless surrounding us everyday.