Week 04 - Prayer

Quick summary of the chapter . . .


Prayer is the central means God uses to transform us. Desiring God's desires after him is a direct result of this transformation.

In Foster's mind many of us do not pray because we believe the future is already set in stone. He thinks that if we believed our prayers could actually change God's mind and even redirect the future we would be more likely to pray. He reminds us that we are "coworkers with God" in this world.

Prayer, he believes, is something we learn. In his own personal study of the Gospels he made the interesting observation that when believers prayed for someone else they never asked "if it be your will." They seemed to pray with certainty for others. Of course, Foster does believe that there is a time for "if it be your will" prayers, but when it comes to intercession he believes that we must pray with certainty. Still, he is not saying that we are able to manipulate God or that his power is at our command. Rather, what he is saying that we must listen to God's voice on whom to pray for. For if it is God who desires someone to be interceded for then he will certainly act. If we are truly thinking God's thoughts after him we can pray for others with certainty (John 15:7).

This leads to the importance of listening in prayer. For Foster prayer is primarily listening. Listening for God's desires. This is a vital step before we intercede. We must first listen for guidance from God before we pray for something. We must only pray for something if we truly believe God is leading us to do so. If we are not certain of God's prompting then we probably shouldn't pray for it.

As with meditation, Foster stresses the importance of imagination in prayer. To picture what God is doing and can do. Again, not that we are creating something in our imagination and then demanding that God do it. Rather we ask God to tell us what to pray for and imagine it. He gives several examples of what this looks like on pp. 43-44.

He also suggests that eventually prayer will become a continual thing. As we go through the day we are constantly seeking the direction of God in all we do and for those we see.