'I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice. My cry came before Him, into His ears.' Psalm 18:6
Recently I felt challenged when a friend shared about how vital it is to be in regular communication with those we love, whether it’s sharing together on a deep level, laughing over something humorous, having fun together, making decisions…. As she spoke, I suddenly realised that the Lord was using her comments to communicate His longing for me to be in regular communication with Him just as much as with my friends. He longs for me to pray and to know that He always listens and always responds to my prayers.
I do pray but sometimes it can feel as if I do so because I am a Christian rather than being full of excitement about communicating with Almighty God. But He is our loving Father who delights in spending time with us. He wants to both encourage and challenge us as we pray. He has seated us on high alongside Jesus. And through the Holy Spirit we can be channels of His power against the works of the enemy. What a privilege prayer is, yet I can be so dismissive of it!
With these thoughts on my heart I decided to re-read the Lord’s Prayer and couldn’t get past the first phrase.
Jesus said: ‘This then is how you should pray: “Our Father inHeaven.”’ Matthew 6:9
‘Our Father’. . . Those very first words describe our relationship with God. ‘Our Father.’ When you pray do you come, understanding that your Heavenly Daddy loves to spend time with you? You matter and your needs and burdens are important to Him. He wants to help you. He loves you, for you are His beloved child. This can make all the difference in how we pray seeing that prayer is a love encounter between our Father and His beloved child. The next phrase, ‘Hallowed be your name’ is also very meaningful. Jesus is teaching us to focus on God’s goodness, love and power rather than on our burdens. As we dwell in God’s Father Love and think about His character, something amazing happens in the Spiritual realm to bring His light into the darkness and peace instead of chaos.
Spend some time today focussing on your Father’s love for you and drinking in His goodness and compassion. You will find your heart becomes full of expectancy just as it might do when you are about to spend time with a close friend. Your prayers will have a new dimension of love and certainty. You may not know how to pray or what to pray for, but He has given you His own Spirit to guide you and even to pray through you at times using His own special language. How awesome that where situations seem impossible, God can turn them around simply through the power of prayer.
Be blessed!
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