I pray to God to know him, to lay my request before him and to find direction for my daily life.
"Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!"
Psalm 66:16-20
Relationship Lesson 101: We talk to people to build a relationship with them. You can choose a variety of mediums of communication, but whatever way you choose, the more time you spend and talking you do with that person, the better you know them, right? The closer you become.
This is true with us and God, as well. Time spent in conversation with God leads to a closer relationship with him. The religious word for talking with God is “prayer,” but that word can be a hurdle for many people to face. It can create a sense of nervousness and intimidation, a concern about doing it wrong. The whole “Holy of Holies” thing in the Old Testament supports the idea that entering into the presence of God Almighty should be done with a good dose of fear and trembling. But when Jesus died for our sins on the cross 2,000 years ago, the literal Holy of Holies curtain in the temple was torn in two (from top to bottom). That communicated a clear statement to the world that the door to the throne of grace was now open wide through Christ.
Jesus covered our sins by his shed blood, and by grace through faith in him, we have been washed clean, forgiven, and now, as children of God, we can come boldly before him. No fear or trembling required. So, what do we do now? How do we pray?
When we need something, we ask for it. When we feel grateful, we say “Thank You” to the Lord. When we are amazed at His goodness and greatness, we brag to God about God. When we’re not sure what we’re supposed to do, we ask him for help. When we mess up and we know it, we admit it and thank him for his forgiveness. Requests, thanksgiving, praises, adoration, petitions, and forgiveness. It’s like a real relationship with a person because it is a real relationship with a Person. Talking and listening. Growing in our relationship with God through prayer.
May I add one more perspective in this discussion about talking with God? As hard as it might be to actually believe, God yearns for us to talk with him. Not that he needs anything from us; the truth is that he knows we need everything from him. He has everything we need. He is everything we need. And he will remind us in not-so-subtle ways of our critical dependence on him. Pain and exhaustion are great teachers. Desperation and dryness alert our awareness of need. In Psalm 63:1, David gasps a prayer when his body and soul are dry and weary. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” David did not lift up a casual call to the Lord. He didn’t wait his turn or apologize for interrupting. David was at the end of his rope. He was distressed and disturbed and he passionately prayed to his God. That was his pattern.
In Luke 18, Jesus teaches us that we should always pray with persistence, even impatience, to our Heavenly Father. He tells a parable about a needy widow bugging her neighbor, the local judge, demanding that he give her justice against her adversary.
She wouldn’t leave him alone until she got him to respond, and he finally did because of her “nagging.” She wouldn’t wait till the morning, leave a message, or be dissuaded. Jesus commended this kind of praying. How much more does our gracious and generous Father in heaven love to hear his children crying out to him, believing that he is the source of relief and rescue that they are so desperate for.
Listen to God’s urging of his people to call to him in prayer with determination:
- “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11)
- “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
- “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)
- “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confi-dence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
So, let’s talk to the Lord. Every day, anytime, about anything and everything. Don’t wait. Don’t let anything get in the way. We are thirsty. He offers us Living Water. We are hungry. He is the Bread of Life. We are sheep and he is our Shepherd, guiding and providing, protecting and correcting, filling us and forgiving us. Whenever we call, he will answer!
PRAYER
Today, make the prayer your own.
Father, …