03/28/2018
Do you read the Bible each day, diligently adhere to the commandments, and perform acts of mercy as a matter of daily routine? Do you pray that God forgive you of your sins as you prepare to walk out the door in the morning, and place a check beside that on your list of righteous things to do? Well, all these things are good, but God doesn’t want to be reduced to a checklist; he wants to be your closest friend, your most trusted confidant, the one you come to with everything that excites you in life... he wants a relationship that places Him at the true center of your life... your BFF. We can’t do this without constant prayer.
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:23-24 ESV
You can’t be in a relationship without communication. If you attempt to do so then it is not really a relationship at all, but infatuation. When I was in high school there was a girl in one of my classes who was quite simple a raving beauty. This girl had transferred to our school when she and her parents moved to the United States from somewhere in Eastern Europe. Every guy in school fantasized about her being his girlfriend, but she was so beautiful, and so aloof, that none dared approach her. So she walked from class to class alone, and she sat quietly at her desk before the bell rang while everyone else chit chatted before class. Even the girls saw her as being above them, and jealously avoided her. For the guys she was an object of infatuation.
Then one day I happened to be walking down the hall between classes and bumped into her. In panic and almost tongue tied, I managed to say I was sorry and introduced myself. It was as if a dam broke and she began talking to me as we walked. Although I could hardly get a word on edgewise I realized that this was a very sweet and lonely girl... not at all the intimidating goddess that I had imagined. Before long we were good friends, and as others saw me walking and talking to her, they too began to speak to her, and the isolation had ended. I never went on a single date with her, but she was forever my good friend and we talked about many things... she was like family.
This is how we are inclined to view God. We see Him as unapproachable on a personal level, and although we are infatuated with His Word, and awed by His presence, we are reluctant to form a relationship with Him. After all, this is the creator of the universe, and perhaps if He sees who I truly am He won’t like me. That perception couldn’t be more wrong. God already knows our heart, our sins, and all the ugliness that surrounds us, but He loves us and wants to not only clean up all the mess in our lives, but wants a very personal relationship with us... He wants our deep and conversant prayers. He is waiting for us to bump into Him in the hallway of life, say we are sorry, introduce ourselves, and begin a conversation; a friendship.
Prayer is how we talk to God, and Jesus taught us to pray. We are taught that we don’t pray to some remote God, but to Our Father, which art in heaven. We are led to the understanding that the God of heaven and earth is more than just approachable, and that our prayers are not checkmarks on a list, but the very heart of our fellowship with Him.
“Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
Matthew 6:9 ESV
What would have happened if I had bumped into the beautiful girl in the hallway, and looked down as I muttered “Sorry” and walked on by? How much would I have missed? I would have learned nothing about where she had come from, why she was in the United States, or how sweet she was. Relationships are built on communication. Speaking with someone turns a desire into reality, infatuation into fellowship, and replaces loneliness with friendship. Listen to the words of Andrew Murray as he describes prayer, or rather the lack of it...
“What we need is a revelation from God that our lack of prayer is an indication of unfaithfulness to our vow of consecration that gave God all our heart and life. We must see that prayerlessness, with the excuses we make for it, is a greater sin than we thought. It means that we have little taste or desire for fellowship with God.” - Andrew Murray
So as we go through our day, let’s have an ongoing conversation with Jesus, and with God the Father. Our prayers are not merely the fulfillment of an obligation of faith, but the heart of our relationship, and the essence of loving fellowship with them. Our relationship isn’t meant to be one of a dictator ruling over his subject, but of a Father walking, and talking, with His child. Prayer shouldn’t be reduced to a check mark when we rise in the morning, another before meals, and one last one before we go to sleep... they are a running conversation that makes God a part of everything we are.
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 KJV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for prayer, and your desire to have a relationship with me. Thank you Lord for your Son Jesus Christ who taught me to pray, and leads me into a closer fellowship with you through those prayers. Holy Father, you are more than a road I walk towards eternal life, you are the essence of that life itself. Without you Father, there would be no reason for eternity, no deep relationship, just a loneliness within me that could not be quenched. Merciful Father you are the love that fills the longing in the core of my being, and without you I am hollow, and incomplete. Without you eternity would be void and friendless, and there would be no righteousness, consecration, or love within me now... darkness would be my plight, but you have cast a light on me. Praised be your name Holy Father, and if each of my days were an eternity I still would not have time to praise you enough. You are my Friend, my Confidant, my Counselor, my Father, and my God; without you I am alone, without you I am struck dumb, without you I wander hopeless, and without you there is no awe in my life; no praise on my lips. Holy art thou my Lord God, and great is your faithfulness. In you I find completeness, and in you I have a love, and a friend forever.
Rich Forbes