I've been thinking about prayer for these last few days, more than usual anyhow. Here's what I have to say (or write I suppose):
A question that I've thought to ask myself is 'who am I praying to?' All too often, we aim our prayers at a god who isn't really there; an imagined god who grants wishes, pardons sin without repentance, and a god who is our equal. This is not the God found in the Bible. This God demands obedience, repentance, and a fearful heart. We often take prayer too lightly: meaningless repetition, taking God's name in vain (usually by means of repetition), selfishness, and asking for things we don't really want (most often the request to be rid of a particular sin). All of these things plague our prayers. Basically, it comes down to this: do I take God seriously? do I really want a life of cross-bearing service to Him?
4 comments:
Have you read CS Lewis's poem "Footnote to All Prayers"
It raises the same questions you do. It reminds us that we are finite and God is infinite. We all, therefore, have development pictures of God which miss the mark of who God really is.
Good stuff, andre. Keep it coming.
Wow, that's a great prayer steve, thanks for pointing me to it. It explains very well how we require the Holy Spirit's intercession on our behalf if our prayers are to be anything close to worthy of God's ear. It is my end of prayer that has me convicted from time to time. To make my prayers a holy offering up to God; something that isn't a just a priveledge, but the highest honor. It seems to me that we must not only have faith in the Holy Spirit and a realization that our prayers are a feeble and meager offering, but that also we must do our very best at making our prayers thought out and God honoring. Thanks again for your response.
today in church the reverend taught from colossians where paul prays "we...ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." col.1:9-12
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