“Lord grant me a carpark, right near the shopping centre door”
Is such a prayer valid? Is it good use of prayer time, of God’s time?
Is God interested in such a prayer?

However you answer this question, it is true that some Christians see prayer as nothing more than a slot machine, and they hope the 3 cherries come up more than not.

Equally disturbing though is that some Christians ask the question, why pray at all? Some believe that whether we pray or not, our life will turn our roughly the same. Prayer and relationship with God is not a compelling part of their daily life.

I question this. I wonder if perhaps there is not much in their life to seriously pray about, because there is not much challenge within their life. We all experience day to day challenges but I am talking about the challenges which come with spiritual battle, spiritual reflection, spiritual fruitfulness and ministry.

If we are truly a disciple of Jesus, there will be ministry opportunities and divine moments as part of our daily lives. And these moments require a deep dependence on the knowledge of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Which compels us to prayer.