Where does God fit?

Who should come first, God or me?

The believer in me says, "God, of course!"  But the human being in me says, "Well, . . . "

This unspoken conflict reaches into prayer.  To be honest, most of my life, I have focused on my own needs and desires when I pray.  When I broaden my horizons, I include family and friends.  And, in recent years, I have thrown in ministries and churches that I am involved in.

Of course, God is pleased to hear my concerns, whatever they are.  He is as interested in my needs as any father is in his child's desires - in fact, infinitely more so.

But what about God? What about his plans?  What about his thoughts on what would be best for me?

Increasingly, I have become aware that God should be sought for his own sake, not just for what he can do for me.

Daniel Henderson, author of Fresh Encounters and Transforming Prayer, says that we should first seek God's face, not his hand.  By that he means we should pursue a deeper relationship with God in worshiping him above all.

In Transforming Prayer, Henderson writes: "It is not about rehearsing a quick list of needs with God, but seeking him because of who he is, with a passion for a deeper intimacy and experience of his presence."

What he says is firmly based in scripture.  The Psalmist David is a great example of someone who yearned for an ever-closer relationship with God.  Moses is another - he wouldn't go forward without God's presence in his life.

That didn't mean that they didn't pray about their needs.  They did.  But, they wanted above all to do what God wanted because they knew God intimately.  And God spoke to them.

So, is there a real conflict between the believer in me and the human being in me?  I don't think so.  As I worship God and listen to him, he guides me in my thoughts and prayers.

David put it best in these great words in Psalm 37:5:  "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."