Who is Serving Whom?

Prayer is one of the greatest privileges God has given His people. Through prayer we bring our worries, fears, hopes, and needs before the Creator of the universe. Yet sometimes I wonder if we unknowingly approach prayer with the roles reversed.

We may not say it out loud, but sometimes our prayers can become little more than a list of things we want God to do for us. We tell Him what problem needs fixing, what door needs opening, what blessing needs providing, and what outcome we expect. Without realizing it, we can begin to think of prayer as a way of directing God rather than submitting ourselves to Him.

It is as though God exists to serve our needs.

Of course, no faithful Christian would consciously say that. Yet our attitude in prayer can sometimes reveal that we have the relationship backward. God is not our servant. He is our King.

When we pray, we are not standing over God giving instructions. We are kneeling before the throne of heaven.

That perspective changes everything.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Before any requests are made, there is submission. Before daily bread, before forgiveness, before deliverance, there is an acknowledgment that God’s will is greater than our own.

Jesus Himself demonstrated this attitude in the Garden of Gethsemane. Knowing the suffering that lay ahead, He prayed, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). If anyone had the right to ask for relief, it was Jesus. Yet even His prayer was offered in complete submission to the Father’s will.

The apostles taught the same mindset. Paul instructed Christians, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Notice that Paul calls them requests. A request is not a demand. A request recognizes the authority of the one being asked.

This does not mean God is distant or uncaring. Quite the opposite. Scripture invites us to cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us. We are encouraged to pray boldly and confidently. But confidence should never be confused with entitlement.

A citizen may confidently approach a good king. A child may confidently approach a loving father. Yet neither has the authority to demand that their wishes be granted.

The same is true in prayer.

We may ask. We should ask. God wants His children to bring their needs before Him. But every request should be offered with the understanding that He is wiser than we are, sees more than we see, and knows what is ultimately best.

When we pray, we submit ourselves to God and recognize that we are kneeling before the King. We may make requests of Him, but we do so in full submission to His will. Whether He grants those requests is His decision, not ours.

Perhaps our prayers would be transformed if we remembered that simple truth. Prayer is not about getting God to follow our agenda. It is about placing ourselves before His throne and trusting Him enough to say:

“Your will be done.”