SPEAK TO ME!
Be happy in your faith at all times. Never stop praying. 1 Thess. 5:16, 17, Phillips.
I was telephoning the academy boys' dorm. On the second ring, a young man answered. "Speak to me!" he said passionately. Though I had to laugh, the incident made me think.
For several months now we have been looking at Scripture pictures of the Father. We have found Him to be fair, loving, reasonable, and relevant. He is also intensely interesting and thoroughly personable. We've learned that He calls us His friends and wants us to live with Him forever. Has this knowledge led us into communion with Him?
God calls passionately, "Speak to Me!" promising to hear and answer us. Yet we draw back, hindered by prayer habits that do not promote confidence that we are holding fresh, two-way conversation with the great God of the universe.
Our text today encourages us never to stop praying. However, this cannot happen without our first being delighted with our relationship with the Father. You are never delighted in someone you fear. You never easily enter into conversation with someone who is critical of everything you do, who probably doesn't even like you very much and has the power to make you crawl or to set you up as king. With these leftover Satan-induced perceptions boiling in your heart, speaking to God can never be pleasant, let alone ongoing. Especially when you think you have to pray, or lose eternal life if you don't!
Unavoidably, prayer of this nature is not spontaneous or enjoyable. Using "acceptable" wordage, you kneel, keep your eyes closed, and never forget to end "in Jesus' name." Having learned these standard prayer habits, deviating from them seems terrifying--until you realize how unflavorful it is to God too. Then you start thinking about change.
May I suggest that there are no particular "acceptable" words that make prayer viable? Just talk to God--while driving in your car, reading a book or anything else that makes your mind active. Ask Him questions and expect interested answers. He will discourse with you! Maybe then, by sparking thoughts in your mind. Maybe not until you are singing out of the hymnal and a particular phrase jumps out at you. Often it is in the course of your daily devotional reading. As specific as you are, He will be. And once you discover this wonderful process of friendship with the Almighty, you'll never want to stop!
Be happy in your faith at all times. Never stop praying. 1 Thess. 5:16, 17, Phillips.
I was telephoning the academy boys' dorm. On the second ring, a young man answered. "Speak to me!" he said passionately. Though I had to laugh, the incident made me think.
For several months now we have been looking at Scripture pictures of the Father. We have found Him to be fair, loving, reasonable, and relevant. He is also intensely interesting and thoroughly personable. We've learned that He calls us His friends and wants us to live with Him forever. Has this knowledge led us into communion with Him?
God calls passionately, "Speak to Me!" promising to hear and answer us. Yet we draw back, hindered by prayer habits that do not promote confidence that we are holding fresh, two-way conversation with the great God of the universe.
Our text today encourages us never to stop praying. However, this cannot happen without our first being delighted with our relationship with the Father. You are never delighted in someone you fear. You never easily enter into conversation with someone who is critical of everything you do, who probably doesn't even like you very much and has the power to make you crawl or to set you up as king. With these leftover Satan-induced perceptions boiling in your heart, speaking to God can never be pleasant, let alone ongoing. Especially when you think you have to pray, or lose eternal life if you don't!
Unavoidably, prayer of this nature is not spontaneous or enjoyable. Using "acceptable" wordage, you kneel, keep your eyes closed, and never forget to end "in Jesus' name." Having learned these standard prayer habits, deviating from them seems terrifying--until you realize how unflavorful it is to God too. Then you start thinking about change.
May I suggest that there are no particular "acceptable" words that make prayer viable? Just talk to God--while driving in your car, reading a book or anything else that makes your mind active. Ask Him questions and expect interested answers. He will discourse with you! Maybe then, by sparking thoughts in your mind. Maybe not until you are singing out of the hymnal and a particular phrase jumps out at you. Often it is in the course of your daily devotional reading. As specific as you are, He will be. And once you discover this wonderful process of friendship with the Almighty, you'll never want to stop!
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