If we audited our prayers, what would they sound like?

Back in my radio days, we’d tape ourselves on air. It was a scoped session of when our microphone was on, and we listened back to review. Then our boss or consultant would listen with us. These “air-checks” usually involved finding things we did wrong or needed to improve on.

It was either humbling or encouraging (usually both), but necessary to help us get better. Athletes watch tape of their performance to do the same, public speakers watch videos of their speeches to see ways to improve.

What would a review of our prayers reveal to us?

I imagine we’d be pretty surprised to hear how often we pray from wrong desires.

(James 4:1-3)

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

Conflict with others (and in ourselves) comes from desire – a wanting of something we do not have. Someone has what we covet (breaking the 10th Commandment) and yet we want so much we plot and scheme to win it, steal it, or take it by force.

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.

We are certainly at war within ourselves -- the lusts of the flesh and desires for pleasure are warring within us. Often we believe we will be satisfied when we get something we want. But coveting will inevitably lead to conflict.

Why don’t we get what we desire?

Yet you do not have because you do not ask, says James.

You do not have. For all of our desiring, striving, and plotting, we do not have. Or what we do have doesn’t satisfy, and we want more. “The whole history of mankind shows the failure of evil lusting to obtain their object.” (Spurgeon)

You do not ask. We want, but fail to go to the Father. Instead, we rely on means rather than prayer. We must remember God does not give unless we ask. And if we have only a little bit of God, likely it is because we have asked little.

“Remember this text: The Lord says to his own Son, ‘Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.’ If the royal and divine Son of God cannot be exempted from the rule of asking that he may have, you and I cannot expect the rule to be relaxed in our favor. Why should it be?” (Spurgeon)

This is how vital prayer is! We get nothing without praying and get everything by it.

But when we do pray, we can ask with wrong motives.

We may indeed ask Father, but James says You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

You do not receive. Believers ask God, but we don’t get because we ask with wrong motives. Asking always for things we covet is selfish praying. My child asks for a cookie, not because he is hungry for nutrition, but desires a treat.

What do you ask? Something to make life a bit easier, a bit better, a bit less painful? Aren’t these what those in the world also strive for? Do you desire a bigger house, nicer car, more health, better looks, an easier time at work, more respect, love, peace, and so on? Is your asking really just to get ahead in the world, or at least keep up with the neighbors?

“When a man so prays he asks God to be his servant, and gratify his desires; nay, worse than that, he wants God to join him in the service of his lusts. He will gratify his lusts, and God shall come and help him to do it. Such prayer is blasphemous, but a large quantity of it is offered, and it must be one of the most God-provoking things that heaven ever beholds.” (Spurgeon)

Here’s the thing: We are not praying to get God to do our bidding – no, it is to get ourselves aligned rightly with His word, will and ways. If we ask amiss (or wrongly, with wrong motives in some versions) we only want what will give us pleasure, to spend it on our passions or waste it on our desires.

This is similar to the squandering of the Prodigal son.

What are we supposed do instead to pray aright?

Listen to Jesus:

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7 NKJV

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 1 John 3:22 NKJV

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:14 NKJV

In short: we pray the Word.

Praying isn’t just asking God for what we want or need. We seek to pray the will of God—for ourselves and His people. Using promises contained in His Word, we pray these back to God, asking Him to fulfill His own Word:

That His kingdom come, and His will be done...that we be mature and standing firm in all the will of God...that we be alert, standing firm in the faith, being strong and doing all we do in love...that we be salt and light...that we love one another and serve one another...that we proclaim the mystery of the gospel, preach, teaching and making disciples...that we have knowledge of His will...that we know the word and keep His commandments, and so on.

If ye prayed aright, all your proper wants would be supplied; the improper cravings which produce "wars and fightings" would then cease. (Fausset)

No, we do not want to audit our prayers. We do want to make sure our prayers are not with wrong desires or wrong motives. We do this by praying the Word of God.

When we do pray for earthly things, be certain it is asked subject to His will—not for merely our gain, but for His glory.

I hope this helps your praying, it has mine, even though I don’t pray this way enough.

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