For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4: 15 - 16 NKJV
Have you ever thought about what was on your wish list from God? You know, things which you continually pray over expecting Him to ultimately reward you with what you requested. As a young Christian in the faith, I used to believe what that pastor often told me, that if I pray for something that God would honor my request. Well, more often than not that pastor must have had a ready made excuse as to why God had not provided what I asked for. Indeed, when the time came for God to pay up, there were times in which I was often left wondering why God had not provided for my desires. What did the pastor have to say? That I must have some unconfessed sin, or that somehow God was disappointed in me. Like I said, a ready made excuse. This brings about the question, is God a God who grants our wishes, or is He a God who listens when we call upon Him? Yes, to both questions. I believe that we might just need to step back and take a deeper look into what we have learned about prayer over time. I don't believe that we follow a lottery God who will open up the blessings of heaven each and every time He is asked to do so. Think about this in terms of a good father, and some who are parents will understand this. Does a father give his child everything they ask for? No, and for good reason. Over time we have seen the consequences on a child who always gets what they want. They grow up feeling a sense of entitlement that they deserve everything. Does God want to be seen in this way? I'd say no. So, what is it about prayer that all too often has us scratching our heads in wonder why we're not receiving what we asked for? Like I said, we need to take a closer look at prayer. I can find no better example on the subject that Jesus Himself. Here I will ask the question. Did Jesus pray, or did He speak to the Father? Well, we know that the scripture tells us that Jesus often retired to a secluded place to pray on His own {Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46}. If we follow the template of prayer which we have been taught for so long, Jesus must have been praying for God to provide Him with something, right? Not exactly. For it was in these private moments where Father and Son would speak to each other.
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 18: 10 - 14 NKJV
One of the greatest examples of the true meaning and practice of prayer which we can carry on in our own lives can be found in John17. It is here where Jesus, on the eve of His death on the cross, comes to the Father seeking not that the cross be removed from Him...but that we would be one with He and the Father. That's right, Jesus prayed in the garden that you and the Father would be one {John 17:21}. Of course, this doesn't fit the cookie cutter definition of prayer which far too many young Christians swear by. Jesus wasn't simply asking the Father to provide something from a wish list, but was speaking to the Father directly. Now, you might be thinking that Jesus, being the Son of God, had a special privileged access to the Lord. You might feel that as a sinner saved by grace that you yourself can never enjoy this very access to God. Well, you'd be wrong. The apostle Paul assures us in Galatians that we intimately share our lives with Christ Jesus. It is Paul who speaks to Jesus living in us {Galatians 2:20}. Once Jesus is revealed in us, it becomes easier for us to see a side of prayer that we probably never even thought of before. That of simply talking with God. When Jesus spoke of our being one with He and the Father, this is what He was referring to. No matter the time of day, we can always share our thoughts and fears with the Lord. This has always been Gods desire, to once again be one with His creation.
"That they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent Me."
John 17: 21 NKJV
~Scott~
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