We are constrained by mortal limitations but can ensure we lay a solid foundation for the next generation who choose to serve God. This is not legacy as a monument to ourselves but a commitment to commissioning others for future kingdom-building. It’s a missional provision for the ongoing work of God. Our contribution is made within our lifetime alone; our legacy is the extent to which we equip others for success, a success for which God alone gets the glory.

Our prayer is limited by our mortality. We see in part only (1 Cor. 12:9—10), whilst God is the beginning and end of all (Rev. 22:13). So our prayer is constrained by the limitations of our earthbound vision and understanding. Here King David is restrained in his ambition to build God’s house. Whilst the ambition is indeed godly, the timing for its execution lies in the future. This is not something for David, but for his successor. Our instincts can be right, yet without the seasoning of God’s Spirit we may act outside of God’s eternal purpose. 

Prayer offers us a sacred space in which God can work. Sacred means a place and time we set aside to be alone with God. In other words, it’s a ‘Godspace’ – where we deliberately step aside from the normal distractions of life. Prayer, self-evidently, is continuous when we choose to practise it as Paul encourages (1 Thess. 5:17), but there can be set times of more focused prayer.

I’ve frequently been asked by those who are not disciples if they can pray to God. Here we have a wonderful story for all our encouragement. A godly Gentile is commended by God’s messenger for his prayer and his generosity. God’s intention is that all should have the opportunity to receive the good news message of salvation (John 3:16). Often the journey starts with a prayer. I certainly prayed years before I was a Christian. Part as an insurance policy, and in part through superstition – just in case.

Jesus tells His disciples that life presents problems (John 16:33), and then immediately turns to prayer. Our response to life’s disappointments and troubles is to start praying. Our heart rate may be pumping with anxiety, and our mind filled with catastrophic thoughts, but we are best to pray at such times. This means looking towards heaven as the source of our hope and true future.

Hannah returns to place her son, the fruit of her prayer, into Eli’s care for training in God’s service. Her painful petitions gave rise to his birth. It is amazing how the process of prayer can alter our whole perspective of ourselves, our world and our circumstances. This is a measure of God’s engagement with us as we pray.

I like to mouth my prayers silently and so prevent my mind from wandering and pursuing its own many thought trails. I don’t focus on each phrase’s content, but remain focused on the purpose of my prayer. The mind is a challenge for each of us when praying, and we can emerge from our personal time with God with no remembrance of our actual prayers.

Prayer is an offering we bring in demonstration of our confidence in God. It’s like a present, and we want the gift to reflect our perception of the recipient as well as to be valued by them. So our prayer is to originate from a pure heart. Whilst Old Testament (OT) offerings may seem antiquated and no longer relevant, the basis on which they were established remains true today. God calls on us to bring the very best of ourselves before Him and to ensure that our prayer is pure and true.

We can find ourselves praying because of circumstance. I well remember when Katey (my first wife) and I were told we couldn’t have children; we turned to God in urgent prayer. We had a need and we figured God would fix it. Our new-found fervency in prayer, driven by our own selfish need, was surprised to find that God fondly welcomed us. Thrilled to have us praying so regularly, and taking us at our word that we wanted to surrender to Him, He invited us to address a host of issues, yet not one was our need for children.

Prayer is never to force God’s hand. God established free will at the creation. Adam and Eve enjoyed choice in exercising obedience to God’s word. This free will has accompanied humanity from that point forward. However, Abraham had himself been guided by the intervention of an angel at the moment he was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Gen. 22:10–12). That angel is the Word of God, and now Abraham instructs his servant, placing complete confidence in God’s word as the means by which his prayer can be fulfilled.