I Pray To God

"And even greater, talk to  Him just because we want to? That's really the desire of His heart."

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

“Always be joyful; keep an open conversation with God and talk with him about everything, and no matter what your situation—be thankful, because God is for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Remedy)

THERE ARE ONLY two qualifications to prayer: be joyful and keep talking. How much you trust God (your amount of faith) isn’t required. How much you understand your life, right then, isn’t required. Having reverence for God is a good thing, but if you are angry with Him, frustrated with people, if your language lacks polish (Let’s put it that way), He still wants you to talk to Him.

Prayer is CONVERSATION. It’s you speaking and Him replying. Him speaking, and you replying. It’s the sharing of thoughts and ideas. Now, He is God, so He knows you, knows all your intents and motives. I find this comforting. I don’t have to explain myself to Him. He even knows what you’re going to say before you say it. You really can’t goof it up. It may feel that way to you, but nah, He is love and great mercy.

He isn’t condemning. No matter how you’ve been lately or what “got you into this mess.” He doesn’t give fear (fright), terror, or anxiety (2 Timothy 1:7). In fact, Philippians 4:6 (above) says, “Be careful for nothing,” or “have no anxiety,” or “have no care.” Instead, rejoice! Because your heavenly Father loves you so much that He died for you then rose from the grave. I love the Brandon Lake song that says, “Who else can say ‘Kill me on Friday, rise on Sunday’?” (But God, The King of Hearts). Our God is just that amazing. So why wouldn’t we trust Him with our needs in prayer? And even greater, talk to Him just because we want to? That’s really the desire of His heart.

Sit here for a minute. Prayer isn’t just about us. It’s more about Him, and not what we can get from Him, but what we can give to Him. Our trust, our deepest wishes, and most of all, our love. I talk to God at every moment of the day, whatever I’m doing, and He often replies. We’ve even shared a joke or two and both of us laughed.

Our boldness to come before the throne is as much having the “fear of the Lord” or “reverence” for Him as kneeling or falling on our faces. These are pictured in the Word, but there is also the apostle Paul’s asking God to remove His “thorn in the flesh” which was a “messenger of Satan,” meaning a fallen angel or a person filled with wickedness. But whatever the case, Paul took that to God, and God replied, “I am enough for you.”

He is enough. He is more than enough, including in our salvation the resurrection power of His Spirit in us AND upon us. We can pray to God and sound like heaven, something no being of darkness can understand. We can grow in our heavenly prayer language, moving from one strength to another. Even that can be a two-way conversation, and He will provide understanding of it. Never put a stop point on God. Never draw an end point for prayer.

And never make it harder than it was meant to be. This, most of all.

“And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

“But Jesus would take frequent breaks in solitary locations for rest and communion with his Father.” (Luke 5:16, Remedy)

“One day, Jesus went to a mountainside and spent the entire night talking with his Father.” (Luke 6:12, Remedy)

Image by Susana Cipriano from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com