How often do our prayers start with a “thank You,” and then shift pretty quickly into all the things we need from God? That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Philippians 4:6 tells us we should bring our requests to God—He invites us to. But, if we’re honest, we can easily slip into a pattern of only going to Him for what He can do, not just to be with Him. It’s subtle, but it happens.
We treat God like a provider more than a person. And while He is our Provider, He’s also so much more. He’s our Father. Our Shepherd. Our Friend.
In Luke 10, there’s a moment between two sisters, Mary and Martha, which makes this crystal clear. Martha is running around, doing all the “good” things to serve Jesus. Meanwhile, Mary just sits at His feet and listens. Martha gets frustrated and asks Jesus to make Mary help her.
But Jesus responds gently:
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42).
Martha was doing for Jesus. Mary was being with Jesus. And Jesus said Mary chose the better thing.
It’s not that serving is wrong. But presence matters more than performance. Sitting with Jesus will always be more important than producing for Him.
When we pray, we sometimes rush to the asking and miss the opportunity to just abide. There is a direct connection in Scripture between peace and God’s presence—not answered prayers.
In Philippians 4:6–7, after Paul tells us to present our requests, he says:
“…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
The result of prayer isn’t just provision. It’s peace. And that peace comes from God Himself—not from everything working out the way we wanted.
We see this beautifully in Exodus 33. God tells Moses He’ll send Israel into the Promised Land, but He’s not going to go with them.
Moses says:
“If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).
In other words: We don’t want the promised land if You’re not in it.
That’s the heart posture we want too. We don’t want to settle for answered prayers without closeness to the One who answers them.
Jesus models this for us in John 6. After feeding the five thousand, the crowd follows Him around asking for more bread. Jesus tells them:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
The Jesus says,
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). They wanted what He could give. He offered them Himself.
Are we seeking what Jesus can do, or are we seeking Jesus? Would you still want God’s blessings if His presence wasn’t part of it? Try praying without a list. Just worship. Just sit with Him. Just be. Because, at the end of the day, His presence is the provision.
