No doubt, we have thought about this question many times. It seems to many people to be a strange activity because we cannot see the One with whom we are speaking. Yet a Christian knows that prayer is a real experience personally and he also knows that countless other Christians have had and have similar experiences.
At a basic level, prayer is contact with the living God. It does not matter in this regard if our prayers are verbal or silent. Both kinds are means of contacting God about matters that concern us. The contact is not physical, yet it is real. Pray is an expression of faith because anyone that approaches God believes that he exists and that he rewards those who seek for him.
Prayer is more than contact, however, because it is also communion with God. Communion implies delight and pleasure, and in true prayer we share time with the Lord. This means that we have fellowship with him. Prayer is an activity of those who love one another. We love God and he loves his people. This communion with God is very rich because we can have fellowship with each of the persons of the Trinity.
Prayer is also challenging because it involves speaking to God about situations and people we know he can change. Our God has infinite power, and nothing is too hard for him to do. Of course, his power is governed by his holy nature, which means that he only engages in holy activities. His power is also active according to his wisdom, which means that he knows when and how to use his power.
Prayer is possible because of the coronation of Jesus. After all, we must pray in his name, which means that we pray according to his authority. He has access to all the resources of heaven and God is willing to give such resources to us because of what Jesus did and does. This is amazing since we are sinners who offend him by our sins. Yet, although we are sinners, we are forgiven by God on the basis of the atonement made by Jesus, and for which he was rewarded for by his exaltation.
Prayer is also an expression of confidence in God. Sometimes the impression is given that prayer is a kind of last resort that we can use when all other attempts fail. In contrast, prayer should be made alongside whatever else we do. Prayer is the conviction that God will keep his promises, that he is interested in our situations, and that he enables us to pray fervently about them in faith.
Having said all that, answered prayer has conditions connected to it. They include not regarding sin in our hearts as well as praying according to God’s revealed will. We should also want answers primarily in order for God to be glorified and that outlook should be a conscious one that we are aware of when we pray.
Let us pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment