“…But truly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.” Ps. 66:19
Dear Ones:
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of a believer in Christ, is that God hears and answers his or her prayer(s). And yet, how much time is given to thoughtful, deliberate seeking of the face of God for the specific knowledge of what to pray for? Every engineering student knows that there are very definite laws that govern the operation of the natural world, and specifically, as they apply to the building and constructing of objects. It is the same in the spiritual world. God’s ways, and thoughts, (we might say His principles and laws) are by His design, revealed to us in His Word. These He will honor, for they have their origin, not in man but in Himself. They have been established before the world was, and are graciously communicated to us in Christ. The question is whether we will conform to His “way,” as opposed to our own. What are these principles by which God WILL answer prayer?
The first thing we need to realize is that we are dealing with the Almighty God, His business, and His way, IN that business. When the Lord Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray, He said: “…your Father knows what things you have need of BEFORE you ask.” (Matt. 6:8) Here we have revealed to us just how limited we are and how limitless is God. He knows ALL things, hidden and revealed, and this BEFORE we ask Him. So then, we are immediately shut up to Him in this matter of prayer, and must defer absolutely to His wisdom and power. Secondly, understanding that God IS God, and that we are not, we must grasp that, “…we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.” (Romans 8:26) Not only does God ALONE know the true need at hand, but He ONLY knows how we should pray in order for Him to meet that need.
So, how do we begin to pray? The Lord Jesus has given us the pattern. “After this manner therefore pray: Our Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be your name.” (Matt. 6:9) The first thing is to come to God believing that THIS is His way…the way of honoring Him as God Almighty, who has become our dear heavenly Father. We come not to a thing, but to the most wonderful, glorious and gracious Person in this entire universe. There is no one who understands like Him, loves us still, and who has the authority and power to ANSWER us when we call. In other words, there is none so WONDERFUL as the Father. (Is. 9:6) The hymn-writer put it like this: “No earthly father loves like You; No mother, e’er so mild, bears and forbears as You have done, with me, Your sinful child.”
Dear Father, in this matter of prayer, help us to see and understand, to WHOM we come when we pray. Open our eyes to see the greatness, and the wonder, of Your goodness and mercy. And grip us with the enormity of Your love, by understanding more fully Your wisdom, righteousness, tenderness and power, in dealing with us. Then, lead us to pray as we ought for Your sake and glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad