How is Prayer like the lottery?

Prayer is a lot like the lottery because “if you don’t play, you can’t win!” What you win is very different, of course. In the lottery, people try to earn money or more “stuff.” Since there’s never enough stuff to achieve happiness, it may pay off for the lucky winner but, in aggregate, it is nothing more than a voluntary tax.

With prayer, we are praying to enjoy the experience of involving God in our life. We want God’s leading. We need His wisdom. With the help of His people and occasionally a bit of miraculous intervention, we can live lives touched by God that result in a glorious testimony to His love for each of us. A deep and rich faith life requires a lot of prayer.

This relationship, through prayer, is a critical part of each believer’s life. While the church (rightly) focuses on the importance of Bible study, we don’t necessarily study the bible to “learn His ways” so much as so that we may hear His voice! It’s less about learning the “rules” of righteousness, although that is not a bad thing. We miss out, however, when we’re not focused on studying the Bible in order to hear God’s voice. Bible study is about being in relationship with God.

Learning the truth of God’s word is important, but ultimately much of that is about learning the rules of righteous behavior. It is more important to experience and share God’s love – serving others and enjoying God’s supernatural aid as part of that life. If the question is, “are you living right?” The Bible can’t answer that. The answer lies in your response to a different question. “For His sake, have you served anyone recently?” Life is about relationship, not rules. You can’t live a life full of answered prayers if you’re not regularly listening to God, asking for His help, as part of serving others. You are a vessel of God and your prayer life is the on/off switch. Seek daily direction from Him so that you can fully live and fully realize the potential He has put in you.