Push buttons, Power Sources, and Prayer

I remember when my son was a baby, his favorite toys were those with buttons to push; he would push the button, and the toy would do something or say something. He loved it that he could cause something to happen, something exciting!

Now I see a whole culture of children and adults constantly pushing buttons and touch screen “buttons”:100_5366

  • On phones
  • On tablets
  • On computers
  • On video games
  • On appliances
  • And even on such things as lawn mowers.

Yes, it is so much more “cool” to start a lawn mower with the push of a button instead of having to yank that string over and over.

More power with less effort.

But how often do we consider the fact that it is not really we ourselves who are exerting the power to make these things happen?  If there is no battery, or the item is not plugged in, or the mower is out of fuel, nothing will happen when we push the buttons.

And in some cases where cords and wires are involved, if the wire is broken, the power cannot reach the machine, and, for that reason, the machine will not work.

The feeling of power we get from pushing buttons can actually be deceptive.  We can become convinced that we are the masters when we are really just tapping into a much greater source of power.

I think we often approach prayer in much the same way.  We want to push God’s buttons.  We offer up a prayer and expect instant action or an immediate message from Him.

When He doesn’t answer the way we want Him to, or as fast as we want Him to, we have the audacity to be upset with Him.  It’s as if we subconsciously consider ourselves to be the masters and Him to be our servant.

We may not want to admit it, not even to God or to ourselves, but we think too highly of ourselves. Which, of course, is foolishness and disobedience to God’s command, no matter how unconscious we are of our haughty attitude.

Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”  NIV

And Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  NASB

God is not some push-button machine.

He is the Power Source itself!

And we have to be connected to Him.

His way.

On His terms.

With repentant and humble hearts and with respect and gratefulness for Who He is, not just for what He can do for us.

Prayer is not about getting the greatest power with the least possible effort.

Prayer is about relationship with God, and relationships take time, effort, and communication to create a close bond.

Just like the machines that cannot work apart from the power source, apart from Him we can do nothing.  We must make the daily effort to draw close to God.  We must keep sins confessed and repented of to keep from breaking the connection.  (Psalm 66:18)

God does not want us to try to be as independent of Him as possible and to run to Him for help only when we get stuck. He wants us to abide in Him.  Always.  (John 15:4,5)

God does answer prayer, and it is exciting to see Him do so!  But the most important and exciting thing we can experience is to get to know the loving God of the universe personally, not so we can use Him to our own ends, but so that we might have a close relationship with Him and dwell in His Presence every moment of every day.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!'”  Psalm 91:1,2  NASB

“The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”  Deuteronomy 33:27  NASB

What better place is there to dwell than close to the loving heart of God with His everlasting arms around us!

Will you begin the adventure, perhaps anew, of discovering the wonder of God as He relates to you and those whose lives you touch as we enter this new year?

This year’s twin words:  dwell/abide

Linking up with:

Spiritual Sundays

Dance With Jesus

Grace & Truth

Faith ‘n Friends

Fresh Market Friday

Thought Provoking Thursdays

Chasing Community

Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesday

Coffee for your Heart

Wise Woman Linkup

Tell His Story

Ra Ra Linkup

Unite

Testimony Tuesday

New Year’s Day @ Soul Survival

Friday Five

Live Free Thursday

36 thoughts on “Push buttons, Power Sources, and Prayer”

  1. You are so right! We want to push God’s buttons expecting instant action. Lord forgive us. I am guilty. I’ve been praying about a situation that isn’t going the way I think it should as quickly as I want. I needed to be reminded that God’s timing is not my timing.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Yes—we have been molded in this world to push buttons and get what we want—instant gratification. May our hearts continue to go beyond that and yearn for relationship with God and others. The slow, life-changing kind of relationship that takes time and cooperation and effort. I want this–but need the reminder probably daily!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for your visit, Kori!
      I’m glad we have buttons to push and electricity to power them. We don’t want to beat ourselves up for our failures; we all fail in some area or other.
      What we DO want to do is remember that all the power comes from God, and without Him we would be nothing.
      What we DO want to do is praise Him and thank Him for all the power that He has made available, including power from His Spirit to overcome in the areas in which we have the tendency to fail. When we abide in Him, that power is always readily available to us. Praise God!
      May the Lord bless you with much abiding and much overcoming in the New Year! 🙂

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  5. This is a great reminder as I try to align my heart in prayer. This kind of attitude, this state of being, transforms prayer into a conversation instead of just something to do. Thank you for linking up!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. This was God perfect post for me to read today as I have been thinking on the next bible study which will be on prayer. I already have the video for us to watch by Ann Graham Lotz, Reversing the Thunder. But your post added a couple more ideas to bring home the truth of how important prayer is. I know it’s my weakest link in my walk with the Lord. Thank God for His grace and mercy that continues to pour out on my life despite my failure to pray often. Happy New Year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So glad that God used these words in your life, Betty. We are weak in our own strength, but in Him we have power to pull down strongholds. Our enemy prowls like a lion seeking to destroy us, so we need to be ever vigilant to dwell in a spirit of prayer so that we can recognize when our enemy is pouncing for the attack and be ready, clothed with God’s power.
      I pray you will feel His Presence with you as you do this new Bible study and that He will help you strengthen your prayer walk. It sounds like a good study!

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  7. When we come to prayer with a desire to know the heart of God in a matter, it’s harder to just get by pushing buttons. I want to learn to linger in prayer, to feel that release. I love your twin words. My word this year is “Commit”. Thanks for linking up with Glimpses this week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, Barbie, coming to God with a desire to know His heart in a matter is so different from the push-button mentality. He is near to the humble and contrite soul who comes to Him in true worshipful faith.
      May the Lord help us keep our focus on Him and recognize when the enemy of our souls is trying to distract us from that goal. May our commitment to Him be first and foremost, and may its effects trickle down into our lesser commitments.
      God’s blessings on you this new year!

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  8. Amazing thoughts. I am certainly guilty of saying a prayer expecting God to answer immediately just the way I asked which does happen, but when He answers differently or waits until the timing is correct, I have a tendency to get bitter and angry. I have developed this button pushing mentality, and I must remember to wait patiently at ALL times. He is always working things out just the way I need it regardless of whether or not what I see is immediate. Love it!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I get that way sometimes, too, Brittany, but when I do, you better believe that I’m not dwelling/abiding in Christ. That’s why I want to work on that this year. I think sometimes we idolize our schedule/agenda instead of truly worshiping God and Him only. I have some more thoughts on worshiping Him coming up in my next post. ❤
      We have a relationship with a God who forgives our sins when we confess them to Him. He wipes our slate clean, and we get to start over!
      May you and I both have great success in following hard after Him this new year! 🙂

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  9. Prayer is about relationship-LOVE that. I’ve struggled with prayer for so long and it wasn’t until I started going into it with the main goal of growing more intimate with God that I started to see transformation. Thanks for sharing this today 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, Nicole. Praise God for the transformation, but praise Him also for the struggle! We have an enemy of our souls that hates to see us spending time with God in prayer, and he does everything he can to try to stop us. So, we must struggle. The reason I see that as a good thing is that it means we are walking in obedience, because the other choice we have is just to give up. That is SO not a good choice, that for me, at least, it’s not even an option on the table.

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  10. What a powerful insight. I realize that I also like push buttons! I hadn’t thought of it in terms of spirituality before, but now I see it. This is so good: “Prayer is not about getting the greatest power with the least possible effort. Prayer is about relationship with God, and relationships take time, effort, and communication to create a close bond.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, Michele. Given that prayer is really about relationship with God, and that God is so beyond our full understanding, it follows logically that we would continue to have so much to learn about prayer because we have so much to learn about God!
      May the Lord bless you in your continued striving to know Him better.

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  12. Excellent analogy! We are easily deceived into thinking we have the power to make things happen, but we are not the center of the universe. He is. And we bow to Him, not the other way around. Thanks for this reminder as we head into a new year… that He has all power and we exist for Him!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Dwell and Abide are power words for sure and In Him we can do impossible things! Great perspective and encouraging insight here. Thanks for sharing the lessons you learned and for sharing your post with me.
    Blessings,
    Dawn

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You are welcome, Dawn, and thanks for your encouraging comment!
      I need to abide; God allows impossible situations in my life so I can come to Him realizing that without His help, the impossible cannot become possible. I think He probably does that for all His children. It is part of the learning process.
      Blessings to you, as well.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Happy New Year, Ruth! I love this post! This line …”Prayer is about relationship with God, and relationships take time, effort, and communication to create a close bond.” – Amen! If we rush about our days barely communicating with our Father, how can we expect a strong relationship? I know my marriage wouldn’t do well in that situation, nor would any of my deep friendships! Thanks so much for the reminder and thank you for linking up with me at #MomentsofHope!
    Blessings and smiles,
    Lori

    Liked by 1 person

  15. This is a very powerful post, such a great reminder that it’s in HIS strength that we accomplish so much, and apart from Him we can do nothing! God is good! Thank you for sharing this post with me on my blog. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Ruth,
    I LOVE the word abide…one of my favorite words in the Bible. I read the book “Abide in Christ” and it talked about having this closeness with God that makes us one. Oh how I desire to dwell in His presence and be connected to Him. How can we learn from Him and grow in Him is we don’t abide in Him and His Word. Like you said He is the source of our power.
    Blessings,
    Bev

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Bev,
      It took me years to figure out what in the world abide meant. It always seemed so beyond my ability to grasp the concept. But the Lord has been teaching me so much and giving me pictures from His word that help me understand better. He has also allowed me to feel His presence so many times as I came to Him in prayer, that I discovered that in His Presence was the best place on earth to be!
      Blessings to you as well!

      Like

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