Prayer

I'm in the middle of a study on Prayer by Pastor Henry Hastings of Atlantic Bible Church:
http://www.archangelbibleministries.org/current.htm

It has literally revolutionized my spiritual life. Prior to this, I had no real idea how to pray or even WHY to pray. I just figured that God knew everything anyway, and He'd do whatever He wanted anyway - so why bother? Now I see things totally differently.

Prayer is what God wants us to do. He wants us to ask Him for what we need (even though yes - He knows already) - and here's the important part - for what we need to fulfill His will. Not just for what WE think we need. What we need to glorify Him and to do what He wants us to do in this life.

I cannot emphasize enough how this has changed the way I look at prayer. I swear I could never even understand the purpose for it. So, needless to say, I've not done much praying.

But I've had a hunch for a long time - and this is the first time I've had it corroborated.

From reading the Bible, I've seen where people like David, for instance, have quoted God's own contract to Him (you SAID you'd do this....) - which is the Bible, His Word - and so the Lord, by His own will is bound by the agreement He has made.

I don't understand all the ramifications of this....just that He wants us to know Him, know His Word and hold Him accountable to that Word.

Once I can remember praying according to what I had learned of Him. A friend's father was dying of stomach cancer. He could not eat and he wasn't that far gone yet. This was very bad, and my friend was agonizing over her father's situation. I was imagining what it must be like to BE him, and so I went to prayer. I prayed that, since God has given us all - the evil AND the good - the power to eat and swallow.....that he restore it to this man if it was His will to do so. My reasoning was that eating and swallowing are meaningless body functions - they don't make someone right or wrong. As such, they are kind of a gratis function. If Hitler had it, then I was praying that this man could have it until it was his time to go.....

Within a few days, he was able to eat. Not just eat, but eat steak and watch movies with his family. He did not survive, but the time he spent being utterly miserable was very short, in contrast to what it appeared it might have been.

That's when I got the impression that God likes to be quoted His own promises, He likes to be reminded of His own attributes in prayer. I don't understand the whole of it - or how attractive a trait this may be in a God.......but He is the Creator of the Universe, and who am I to say one way or the other. If this is His plan, then I am eager to follow it.....and I am VERY grateful for His bringing to me someone (Pastor Hastings) who could finally illuminate my mind on this subject.......