Prayer is relationship

The Garden of Eden is a picture of how important prayer is in our relationship with God.

God created Adam and Eve and loved being with them.  He talked with them face to face. (Genesis 1-3)

But Adam and Eve listened to the serpent - Satan - who convinced them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil - an act forbidden by God.  Satan told them they would be like God, knowing good and evil - and they couldn't resist the temptation.

They became aware of their nakedness and tried to hide from God when he walked in the Garden. They broke their relationship with God through their disobedience.

Adam and Eve had a choice: They could have said "No" or, at the very least, they could have gone to God and spoken to him about the serpent's words.  They didn't.

I see similarities in our own relationship with God.

God has given us the gift of prayer so that we can talk with him, seek his face, learn from him, ask him for things, and receive guidance from him.  We can have the kind of relationship that Adam and Eve had in the Garden before their disobedience.

But, I confess that when I sin I often stop praying and seeking God's face - much like Adam and Eve.  And there is much in my life that I never pray about - things that God is interested in.

That is a serious mistake.  As Psalm 139 tells us: "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me . . . you are familiar with all my ways."

He knows me inside out - the good and the bad - but he wants me to be open with him.  He is interested in everything I do.

But this requires a change of mind and heart in me.  I must recognize that he is far greater than me and that he pursues me with a love that will not be denied.

We call God "Father" for a good reason.  We are like children in his sight - even if we are old.  He knows our weaknesses and our strengths.  He can see our futures.  He has a plan for us - and we are too short-sighted to know what it is.

So, why do we insist on going our own way without seeking his counsel and guidance?

God loves to talk with us - today just as much as in the Garden of Eden.  Prayer is our chance to enjoy conversing with him - anytime, anyplace, about anything.

What an honour!  What joy!

Guideposts for praying God's will

Bryan Chapell says seeking God's will in prayer can be a bit like driving through a blinding snowstorm in the country with fenceposts your only clue where the road is located.

He uses the analogy in his book Praying Backwards to describe how he determines what God wants him to do in important - and sometimes puzzling - situations.

The fenceposts he uses are "righteousness" and "prudence".

In effect, he asks two questions:

• What is the righteous thing to do in these circumstances?
• What is the prudent - or wise - thing to do?

Chapell acknowledges that God sometimes intervenes very directly through signs and wonders to make his will clear.

For example, I can think of a few cases from the Book of Acts.  Jesus spoke out loud from heaven to Saul - later called the apostle Paul - as he was walking to Damascus to persecute Christians.  And the apostle Paul was diverted from preaching the gospel in what is modern-day Turkey when he saw a vision of a man from Macedonia in Greece beckoning him to come there.

But, in most situations, things are not so clear.  You may be faced with a choice between two jobs which seem equally attractive.  Or, you may wonder whether God wants you to  marry someone you are in love with.

In using "righteousness" as a guide, it's easy to see that you should not pray for bad things to happen to someone you are in conflict with.  That is against the word of God - the scriptures.

The word of God is a key guide for our prayers.

"God's word is more authoritative than personal feelings or priorities," says Chapell.

So, we need to be familiar with what the Bible says in our circumstances.  There are broad principles which can help point us to the "righteous" choice.  Ultimately, we must submit ourselves to carrying out God's will through obeying him.

"As we obey him and pray for his purposes, [God] perfects his will in and through us.  We see his will through the events that unfold, but their significance may not be apparent for years or until we see the Lord."

Chapell says that if we face several choices that are equally "righteous", we can be confident that God will work things out for our good.

As for the fencepost of "prudence", Chapell says that here again the Bible plays an important role. Knowing the principles of the Bible helped him decide on the pastorate after considering two other equally good professions.  For him, it was the right choice.

"Christian prudence involves seeking wisdom from God's word, counsel from godly advisors, and insight from the Holy Spirit to make decisions according to the priorities of the Bible."

He offers several questions to ask when we're considering the wise and godly approach to decisions:

• Is the action we're considering loving?
• Is it legitimate?  For example, is it a wise use of our gifts?
• Is it responsible?

Great Christians such as George Muller, whose heart and life went out to orphans in England, have used approaches like this in seeking God's mind for the major decisions they made.  Muller read the Bible with these decisions in mind, sought the leading of the Spirit, and prayed.

Wise counsel, indeed.

Watch out! Jesus is with us!

United prayer among believers is potent - a weapon that Satan should fear.

Somehow, there is something special and powerful about group prayer as Jesus pointed out long ago.

He said in Matthew 18:  "If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.  For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."

Speaking personally, I have yet to fully understand how powerful praying together can be.

But there are many instances in the Bible and in history of how praying together can bring dramatic results.

The early believers used to meet together regularly to pray and thousands of new converts flocked into the young church.

And when persecution broke out, they prayed in Acts 4 for boldness to preach the good news of Jesus Christ despite the threat to their lives.  The gospel spread even faster.

Revivals throughout history have broken out when people prayed for the Holy Spirit to come down and change them and their world.

The Welsh revival of the early 20th century led to many thousands entering the kingdom of God and the entire society was transformed with jails emptying and bars closing.

Typically, revivals lead to many people with closed minds and hearts suddenly melting in the presence of God.

Why does this happen?

For two reasons that I can think of:

• One is that the people who are praying want to do what the Holy Spirit is asking them to do.  More than anything else, they want God's will to be done in their lives and in the lives of those around them.  They want God's kingdom in heaven to come to earth.

• The other reason is that God wants his people to unite around what he desires for them.  A divided body will have trouble seeing answers to prayer.

A friend of mine said this week that he experiences God's presence most easily when he prays with other like-minded believers.

I agree.  I can remember coming home from work tired and reluctantly heading out to the weekly prayer gathering.  And when I left the group that evening, I was revived, knowing that God had been with us.

I know without doubt that Christ is with us when we pray with one heart.

To see what God can do, I must first get my mind and heart in tune with what he wants.

Rest

One of the hardest lessons to learn in prayer is - rest.

On the surface, it is easy -  you just stop trying to do things and you remain peaceful before God.

But when I slow down to do nothing but stay in God's presence, I find all kinds of thoughts clamouring for attention.

But great men and women of prayer have practiced resting until it becomes second nature - as natural as breathing.

I say it is a hard lesson to learn because I want immediate results from prayer.  If I have a need, I want God to deal with it.  I want action.

The problem with my thinking is that I want God to adapt to my agenda.  I have decided what is important and I want him to deal with it.

Yet, Jesus made this great statement which is familiar to most Christians:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

In these verses, he is telling me that he will give me rest if I come to him.  The suggestion here is that I must come to him to learn - not to order him around.

The words "take my yoke upon you" suggest that I must let him lead me.  He is the who will lead.  He will teach me.

He makes the promise that I will find this the easy path - the burdens of life will feel light in comparison to my worried demands.

One of my favourite authors, Jeanne Guyon, suggests in a book she wrote in 17th century France that one way to find this rest is to:

• Begin by slowly - and meditatively - reading scripture until you sense you are in God's presence;
• Give yourself up to God and what he wants with you;
• Rest quietly in his presence and enjoy him; and
• When you find your mind wandering, return to reading scripture and meditating until you are simply basking in his presence.

God will touch our hearts where we have sinned, but we are not to beat ourselves over what we have done.  We are to accept his correction and return to him.

Guyon quotes the great fourth century Christian leader, Augustine, as saying: "Love God and then do what you please."

His desires will become our desires.  And we will find answers to our prayers because we are praying his will.

For me the lesson is: "Less worry, less hurry, more resting in Jesus."