My granddaughter, Selah, who is 9 years of age, visited last
week. Being with her you get a kind of stream of consciousness in her
communication which I found delightful. Words bubble over from her that are
refreshingly honest, observations about what she sees, how she feels, what she
thinks. She does not seek to be profound. She just shares herself with
her words.
What a model for our relationship with our Father in Heaven. He
invites us to keep an open line of communication with Him. "Be joyful always; pray continually!"
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, NIV)
I am so thankful for the privilege of conversational
prayer! Before I got up today, I prayed for a friend facing jury duty, for
another who is dealing with health issues, for several situations in which I
desire the wisdom of the Spirit. My prayers were not carefully shaped, not even
complete sentences. They were my heart talking with Abba. Sometimes my prayers are just words of thanks or
praise or wonder! Sometimes I pray in the language of the Spirit as I drive to a
pastoral call with someone in crisis.
Believe
it or not, I seldom pray by getting down on my knees, clasping my hands, and
turning my head towards the sky in prayer! He is not much impressed with long
monologues addressed to the “One who filleth our lives with blessed
beneficence, Whose Majesty we implore to rest mightily upon us.” In our daily life, He invites us to talk with
Him, our Father, Who loves us!
Jesus taught us about praying without giving us formulas that ‘guarantee results’ as I’ve heard some preachers do. He never suggested that we should attempt to pray in such a way that you ‘get what you want from God.’ He showed us that prayer flows out of a relationship. In fact, Jesus specifically warned about making prayer into a show. “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?" (Matthew 6:5, The Message)
He also cautioned us about turning prayer into recitation or
empty ritual. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other
religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their
words again and again." (Matthew 6:7, NLT) It is worth noting that Jesus also said that
our relationships with other people have a direct bearing on our prayer life!
If we are hateful or unforgiving, we sever the connection that lets us pray
from our hearts. He reminds us of the importance of letting go of the offenses
of others which frees us to approach God without the weight of hate!
When we pray we should expect God to answer in the same way
a beloved child expects the care of a parent. "For everyone who asks,
receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will
be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give
them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of
course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who
ask him." (Matthew 7:8-11, NLT)
Please do not make that into the legal language of a contract. It is the
promise of our loving Father. He doesn’t
promise that if we use the right words, adopt the right attitude, or find the
right time or place, that our prayers will produce every result we desire! That
would be disastrous, given our short-sightedness, selfishness, and frequently
foolish prayers! He invites us to be
aligned with His heart, to ask freely and accept faithfully all that He
provides.
Prayer involves mystery and faith.
God is God, I am not.
He is infinite, I am not.
He is all-wise, I am not.
He asks only that I stay in right relationship with Him by
being obedient to His Word and Spirit, living with a deep faith that trusts Him
implicitly.
2020, with all the crisis and confusion, invites us to learn to pray- not longer, not more eloquent prayers but rather those that are like Selah’s conversations with me, the unguarded overflow of our heart, an authentic expression of who we are – not childish, but child-like! I hope that we will really converse with the Lord – crying with Him when our hearts are broken, pouring out our praise to Him when life is working for us, presenting our needs and requests to Him at His invitation, and most of all; resting in His promise to love us through it all!
The word from the Word says "I have not stopped
thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you
might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded
with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those
he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also
pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us
who believe him.” (Ephesians
1:16-19, NLT)
"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21, NLT)
____________
Lord I come I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
And without You I fall apart
You're the one that guides my heart
Lord I need You oh I need You
Ev'ry hour I need You
My one defense my righteousness
Oh God how I need You
Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus You're my hope and stay
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus You're my hope and stay
Lord I need You oh I need You
Ev'ry hour I need You
My one defense my righteousness
Oh God how I need You
My one defense my righteousness
Oh God how I need You
Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher
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