An esssy...
It is really is truly astonishing, that right at our fingertips, (or tongue-tips to be more precise), is a vehicle for entering into the throne room of the Creator of the universe! A vehicle that is available to us 24 hours a day, every day of the year. If we had such a privilege to be able to engage the ear of the queen of England or the president of either the US or the European Union or perhaps even the pope, with as much freedom, we would be the envy of the world, and people from all corners of the globe would be clamouring (lol…I spelt this incorrectly at first spelling it clammering ; the spell check then gave me 3 alternatives…clambering, hammering, clamouring…all quite appropriate) at our door asking for favours. Yet we, even more astonishingly, avail ourselves of this privilege so little!
Ellen White had the following to say regarding this reluctance on our part to engage in prayer…
Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God’s heart of infinite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little and have so little faith? The angels love to bow before God; they love to be near Him. They regard communion with God as their highest joy; and yet the children of earth, who need so much the help that God only can give, seem satisfied to walk without the light of His Spirit, the companionship of His presence.
Prayer is not always easy to understand. Why ask God for something He already knows about? Will God not do anything for us except we ask Him first? Can our prayers really change what God intends to do…can it change His mind? Whether we understand what prayer is or not, one thing is certain. Without it, as Christians, we are doomed to failure. Prayer is the lifeblood of the soul. I have found throughout my Christian walk, that those times when I needed prayer most, came after periods where I prayed least. I have found that the old adage, that we don’t know what we are missing until its gone, is very relevant at times like these.
God, whose name the Lord informed Moses is merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, (Exodus 34:5,6) demonstrates His character by being precisely what His name above depicts. At those times when I had neglected to pray as often and as constantly as I ought, and found myself in the inevitable spot of bother as a result, and upon realising my predicament and returning to my knees, am so grateful that I did not hear … “Ha! Serve yourself right! You neglect Me and you get yourself into trouble every time. How many times do I have to remind you! You are weak, stupid, ignorant, self-willed, arrogant, proud, independently minded, and quite frankly, too much trouble to bother with any more. Sort out your own problems. I’m done with you.!!!”
On the contrary, what I hear is “Oh my precious son, welcome back! Now, take of My strength, let My grace and power sustain you, trust Me and all things shall work together for your good.” ( Psalm 145:18,19; Luke 15:18-24; Psalm 29:11; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 42:16; 65:24; Romans 8:28.)
Prayer however isn’t only a cry for help. It is really the only vehicle we have for sustaining our relationship with God, and like any inter human relationship, to get to know Him we must spend time with Him. If communication is so crucial in our relationships with other people, how can it be less so with God? And if Jesus, the spotless Son of God, Who knew no sin,was without fault, and walked in perfect harmony with the will of His Father throughout His life needed to pray so often as depicted so clearly throughout the gospels, (see Luke 3:21,22; 6:12,13; 9:28,29; Hebrews 5:7; Matt. 14:23.) how much more do we need to?
So the big question remains, and is one I need repeatedly to ask myself. “Why do we pray so little???!!!!!” Frankly, I think the answer, for me anyway, is somewhat closely related to something I wrote above. I am weak, stupid, ignorant, self-willed, arrogant, proud, and all too independently minded. (Now I am allowed to say that, so there is no need for everyone to agree with me ok?) Truly though, it comes down to a matter of choice. How well do we really want to know our Creator? How close do we want to be to Him? I am convinced there is no limit to the closeness and intimacy we can have with our Lord.
It is really is truly astonishing, that right at our fingertips, (or tongue-tips to be more precise), is a vehicle for entering into the throne room of the Creator of the universe! A vehicle that is available to us 24 hours a day, every day of the year. If we had such a privilege to be able to engage the ear of the queen of England or the president of either the US or the European Union or perhaps even the pope, with as much freedom, we would be the envy of the world, and people from all corners of the globe would be clamouring (lol…I spelt this incorrectly at first spelling it clammering ; the spell check then gave me 3 alternatives…clambering, hammering, clamouring…all quite appropriate) at our door asking for favours. Yet we, even more astonishingly, avail ourselves of this privilege so little!
Ellen White had the following to say regarding this reluctance on our part to engage in prayer…
Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God’s heart of infinite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little and have so little faith? The angels love to bow before God; they love to be near Him. They regard communion with God as their highest joy; and yet the children of earth, who need so much the help that God only can give, seem satisfied to walk without the light of His Spirit, the companionship of His presence.
Prayer is not always easy to understand. Why ask God for something He already knows about? Will God not do anything for us except we ask Him first? Can our prayers really change what God intends to do…can it change His mind? Whether we understand what prayer is or not, one thing is certain. Without it, as Christians, we are doomed to failure. Prayer is the lifeblood of the soul. I have found throughout my Christian walk, that those times when I needed prayer most, came after periods where I prayed least. I have found that the old adage, that we don’t know what we are missing until its gone, is very relevant at times like these.
God, whose name the Lord informed Moses is merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, (Exodus 34:5,6) demonstrates His character by being precisely what His name above depicts. At those times when I had neglected to pray as often and as constantly as I ought, and found myself in the inevitable spot of bother as a result, and upon realising my predicament and returning to my knees, am so grateful that I did not hear … “Ha! Serve yourself right! You neglect Me and you get yourself into trouble every time. How many times do I have to remind you! You are weak, stupid, ignorant, self-willed, arrogant, proud, independently minded, and quite frankly, too much trouble to bother with any more. Sort out your own problems. I’m done with you.!!!”
On the contrary, what I hear is “Oh my precious son, welcome back! Now, take of My strength, let My grace and power sustain you, trust Me and all things shall work together for your good.” ( Psalm 145:18,19; Luke 15:18-24; Psalm 29:11; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 42:16; 65:24; Romans 8:28.)
Prayer however isn’t only a cry for help. It is really the only vehicle we have for sustaining our relationship with God, and like any inter human relationship, to get to know Him we must spend time with Him. If communication is so crucial in our relationships with other people, how can it be less so with God? And if Jesus, the spotless Son of God, Who knew no sin,was without fault, and walked in perfect harmony with the will of His Father throughout His life needed to pray so often as depicted so clearly throughout the gospels, (see Luke 3:21,22; 6:12,13; 9:28,29; Hebrews 5:7; Matt. 14:23.) how much more do we need to?
So the big question remains, and is one I need repeatedly to ask myself. “Why do we pray so little???!!!!!” Frankly, I think the answer, for me anyway, is somewhat closely related to something I wrote above. I am weak, stupid, ignorant, self-willed, arrogant, proud, and all too independently minded. (Now I am allowed to say that, so there is no need for everyone to agree with me ok?) Truly though, it comes down to a matter of choice. How well do we really want to know our Creator? How close do we want to be to Him? I am convinced there is no limit to the closeness and intimacy we can have with our Lord.