Pray Before the Alarm Goes Off

Israel had a prayer pattern: rebellion, rescue, rest, and then rebellion again, in an endless loop. They prayed for rescue, and as soon as they were rescued, they returned to bondage. I don't want to be the guy who treats God like a commodity. I don't want God to be my 911. So how do we purify our prayers?

Pray with the proper purpose

Israel cried out after eighteen years. The timing gives them away: they wanted rescue, not relationship. We said it last week. Don't just pray, "God, fix this." Pray, "God, fix me."

Here's what I mean. When you wake up: "Lord, thank You for a brand-new day. I've got a lot on my plate and struggles I don't even know about yet. God, don't rescue me from my day. Be with me in my day. Help me be in the right place, so You don't have to help my enemies to get me there."

There's a great scene in Narnia. The children are walking through a dark time and hear a lion roaring in the distance. Later they can hear the lion breathing. When the sun comes up, they look back and see they were walking along a ledge, and Aslan was beside them the whole time, keeping them from the edge. God, I want You with me today.

Then keep talking: "How are You doing, God? How am I doing today? Search me, try me, know me. Reveal me to me." If your kids call and the first thing you say is "What's wrong?", that's not good. God doesn't want that from us either.

Persist in prayer

So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. (Judges 3:30)

Eighty years is a long rest, but they were still going to need another judge. God just pulled you out of danger, and you have a season to catch your breath. The next danger is coming. God rescues you from the Philistines, and the Moabites rise up.

You probably prayed a whole lot when you were underwater, or in the ICU. Persistence means you keep that relationship after you're out of the hospital, out of rehab, back on your feet. Was Moab ever really the enemy? God raised up Moab. The real problem was Israel's rebellious heart. Persisting in prayer after the problem solves the real problem, not just the temporary one.

Make your prayer productive

Be proactive. Pray before the alarm goes off, while nothing's on fire. Crisis theism is loud ("God, help me! Where are You?"), and it's also late. If you have a pulse, problems are coming. Use the rest period to get closer to God before the taxes show up.

Be positive. Are you praying for things or only against things? For health, or only for healing? For relationship, or only for rescue? Israel got into the land, planted fields, pressed grapes, and sat back. That's a dangerous cycle. If you're in a good spot spiritually, are you hanging out there, or still moving forward? "Lord, help me be better today than I was yesterday. Thank You for rescuing me from that addiction. Help me not be content to stay where I am."

Start a new pattern. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Let's not get that wrong. But He wants fellowship, not a functional relationship. Ask Him to help you pray beyond your problem and stay close.

That's what our kids will see in us: there was a time when those people really needed God, and now they just walk with Him at the same depth, all the time.