Umm… No.

Here is another Christian meme getting passed hither and yon through the virtual world known as social media. Unfortunately, while well intentioned, it is another example of why so many Christians are confused and frustrated with their faith. Why you ask? Because prayer is not about success–no matter how piously you define it. Prayer is about building your relationship with God. It is about aligning and realigning your heart to His by spending time speaking with Jesus and listening to what His Spirit speaks back to you. Saying that prayer is about bringing about a lifestyle of “success” is very troubling. First, because success is commonly understood in our culture as professional and financial in nature. Second, because God’s plans for us often include taking us to places where “success” is the last word we would use to describe them. Would Joseph have called his life a success when he was falsely accused of rape and put in prison? Did Jeremiah think of himself as a success when he was thrown into an empty cistern? Did Job think he was a success when he was sitting in the ashes weeping over the death of his children and agonizing over the loss of his health and finances and political standing? I don’t think so. I talk about this at greater length here. Be very careful what you choose to read and post and believe my friends. Just because a meme is as nicely put together as this one doesn’t mean its true.