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The Privilege of Prayer |
By Lance Witt
The God of the universe wants to know you and be known by you. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you. Think about that for just a moment. Let it sink in. NO, really, let it sink in! The God who spoke the world into existence, the God who has absolute power and sits on the throne of the universe, cares about you. The God who has no need of anything and is perfect and holy in every way, wants fellowship with you.
Not only does he desire a relationship with us, but he has given us access to come into his presence. Such intimacy is a little more familiar to us in New Testament times, but would have been completely foreign to the Hebrews of the Old Testament. Only the High Priest entered into the presence of God, and that was only once a year on the Day of Atonement.
Since the coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence is in the life of every single believer. That is why the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
Therefore, prayer is communication in the context of relationship. Prayer cannot be viewed as a check box on your to-do list. Prayer is not a magic wand or incantation to twist God’s arm into giving us what we want. Rather, prayer is multi-faceted communication with our Heavenly Father.
Yet, as much as it is a privilege, an effective prayer life seems somewhat elusive to most Christians. It is interesting to note that the disciples never asked Jesus to teach them how to preach, but they did ask him to teach them how to pray.
The Bible gives us a great deal of instruction regarding effective prayer. This article will explore some of that teaching. However, before we move to a discussion of the nuts and bolts of prayer, we are confronted with a decision. If we are to get serious about developing our prayer life, we must commit to putting into practice the habits that lead to a meaningful prayer life.
Good communication doesn’t happen by accident. It is not automatic. In a marriage, a husband and wife must be proactive and intentional about their communication if they wish to move toward intimacy.
Being proactive and maintaining good prayer habits it nonnegotiable if you want an intimate relationship with God. As Paul admonished us, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2 (NIV)