There is a lot more talk about prayer in our day than there is praying going on. Prayer is the foundation of all that happens on earth. Jesus called us to pray in such a way that we would remember “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matt. 6:8)

This call is to remind us that prayer is the way we build our world along with the Father.

Prayer is our act of partnership with God. He has in his mystery left the making of a life to the realm of joining with him in a process that brings heaven together with the events of our world.

In his prayer called the Lord’s Prayer two points have stood out to me this week:

Matt 6:12 – Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Matt 6:13 - And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the one.

Our debts here mean those things we have left undone. Part of life-building prayer is seeking healing from the damage that only going part of the way to God can bring. There are several words for misconduct in the scriptures that we all need to watch for:

1. harmatia – to miss the mark
2. parabasis - stepping across
3. paratonma – slipping across
4. anomia – lawlessness.
5. opheilema - debt

Prayer reconnects us at all points here. It brings us back. It puts us back into focus. And it brings order back into our life. Prayer is the rebuilder. Prayer is the first step everyone takes on his or her way toward Jesus.

I have also been thinking about postures in prayer. There are at least six different positions the scriptures attach to praying. They each emphasize a different attitude in prayer.

Joined Hands — the position of quiet devotional confidence in the interested God we worship.

Kneeling - the act of surrender. I kneel to the sovereign God making my request.

Walking - I like to walk and pray. Walking and praying suggests warfare. Prayer in active motion.

Bowing - the act of submission in prayer. It suggests the position of hearing in Prayer.

Hands uplifted — this signifies exulted joy that the answer is assured.

Prostrate - the call for extraordinary mercy. It means I am unworthy but I make my appeal.

These are, as always, challenging times. It is easy to leave the fundamentals of world changing and turn complex. It can be easier to write a blog about facing changing trends. But I hope that today you will take a look at these brief musings on prayer and deploy the strongest weapons we have. I am persuaded that my prayer for the upcoming elections will be more effective than my vote. And of course I am voting. But our world needs us to take all the postures of prayer and return things back to the state of His original world.