Author and pastor David Platt said something that caught my attention: "Desire for God is the heart of prayer."
I turned that around in my mind wondering if that is true. Isn't the heart of prayer voicing my needs?
Yes, needs are a prime reason I pray. But when I'm facing a major problem, who do I want to solve my problem? Who do I turn to? If it's God, then clearly I am seeking him.
Still, there's a deeper meaning to Platt's comment. There are clearly people in the Bible who sought God for the wonder and pleasure of simply being in God's presence.
In her book The Master is Calling, Lynne Hammond points out that in Exodus 33:11, Moses' aide Joshua would remain in the Tent of Meeting after his revered mentor had left. God met Moses in these prayer sessions in the tent and Joshua obviously wanted this same personal relationship with God.
As I have mentioned before, Moses is a great example of prayer. When God said he would not go with the Israelites any further, Moses objected saying that God's presence was vital for his people (Exodus 34:16). And he asked for - and was granted - permission to see something of God's glory.
In a sermon on prayer, David Platt describes visiting a house church in an Asian country where it is illegal to worship God. He says believers shared testimonies and then began praying, prostrating themselves on the ground and weeping. For an hour, they called out things like: "Thank you God for knowing my name." They were weeping for joy because God knew them personally.
The apostle Paul was constantly in prayer for people in the churches he visited. He urged them to pray and give thanks.
As Hammond notes, we can see the source of his prayer power in Philippians 3:7-11. He says everything is worthless for him "when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord". His focus was on Jesus first.
For me, that may mean appearing to waste time in God's presence, not talking about my needs but only worshiping and listening to him as Moses and Joshua did. The time for presenting my needs will follow later.
Gradually, I am beginning to experience what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 42:1: "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God."
I turned that around in my mind wondering if that is true. Isn't the heart of prayer voicing my needs?
Yes, needs are a prime reason I pray. But when I'm facing a major problem, who do I want to solve my problem? Who do I turn to? If it's God, then clearly I am seeking him.
Still, there's a deeper meaning to Platt's comment. There are clearly people in the Bible who sought God for the wonder and pleasure of simply being in God's presence.
In her book The Master is Calling, Lynne Hammond points out that in Exodus 33:11, Moses' aide Joshua would remain in the Tent of Meeting after his revered mentor had left. God met Moses in these prayer sessions in the tent and Joshua obviously wanted this same personal relationship with God.
As I have mentioned before, Moses is a great example of prayer. When God said he would not go with the Israelites any further, Moses objected saying that God's presence was vital for his people (Exodus 34:16). And he asked for - and was granted - permission to see something of God's glory.
In a sermon on prayer, David Platt describes visiting a house church in an Asian country where it is illegal to worship God. He says believers shared testimonies and then began praying, prostrating themselves on the ground and weeping. For an hour, they called out things like: "Thank you God for knowing my name." They were weeping for joy because God knew them personally.
The apostle Paul was constantly in prayer for people in the churches he visited. He urged them to pray and give thanks.
As Hammond notes, we can see the source of his prayer power in Philippians 3:7-11. He says everything is worthless for him "when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord". His focus was on Jesus first.
For me, that may mean appearing to waste time in God's presence, not talking about my needs but only worshiping and listening to him as Moses and Joshua did. The time for presenting my needs will follow later.
Gradually, I am beginning to experience what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 42:1: "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God."
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