Maybe we need to rethink our whole concept of prayer.
We are in a relationship with God. Jesus is our Bridegroom. He has proven to the ultimate degree His love for us, His passionate desire to enter into intimacy with us.
What if prayer is just talking to Him? There's a concept. Not pleading, not manipulating, not groveling, not demanding. Just talking. Talking based on relationship, on a love that is strong and sure on His part, and can only grow deeper and more pervasive on ours. It wasn't by some whim that God has referred historically to His people as His spouse, His bride. We get to know Him intimately, and we know what makes Him pleased, sad, frustrated, joyous. As our love grows for Him we find ourselves not wanting to make Him sad or frustrated by our behavior. And not because that's what we "should" do - but because He loves us and we love Him. We let Him into the deepest recesses of our being; we allow Him to "know" us, the real us - not what we want to show Him or others, but the deep-down stuff. The relationship, the intimacy, is too important to us to want to jeopardize it. We look for His smile, we live to hear Him laugh.
From that place of intimacy, our prayers begin to look (and sound) different. Gone are the trappings of changed vocal tones and repetitive chanting, gone are the petulant and selfish demands, gone are the attempts at sanctified arm-twisting, it's just "Jesus and me - talking." Like best friends, like husband and wife having a bit of "pillow talk." That's when what really matters to us comes to the fore, and all the barriers and façades are stripped away and we share our heart with Him. Not what someone else is doing, not what the accepted prayer format is, not anything less - or more - than just talking about real things with Someone who's real and who really loves us far more than we can even begin to understand. And He begins to share His heart with us, to gently teach us what matters to Him.
I was reading the Psalms this morning in the Message. Psalm 25:14 jumped out at me. "God-friendship is for God-worshipers; they are the ones He confides in." Our picture of "what worship looks like" aside, it is basically seeking His face - not for what He can do for us but because of who He is: love, compassion, gentleness, goodness, acceptance, grace, - everything. Those very things make it possible for us to have a relationship with Him in the first place. To walk with Him, as Adam did in the cool of the evening before the fall of humankind, and as Enoch did in the days before the law was even given.
Not because we are worthy of it; we aren't. Not because we have a right to it; we don't.
But just because He is ours and we are His - we're wearing His ring in our hearts.
We are in a relationship with God. Jesus is our Bridegroom. He has proven to the ultimate degree His love for us, His passionate desire to enter into intimacy with us.
What if prayer is just talking to Him? There's a concept. Not pleading, not manipulating, not groveling, not demanding. Just talking. Talking based on relationship, on a love that is strong and sure on His part, and can only grow deeper and more pervasive on ours. It wasn't by some whim that God has referred historically to His people as His spouse, His bride. We get to know Him intimately, and we know what makes Him pleased, sad, frustrated, joyous. As our love grows for Him we find ourselves not wanting to make Him sad or frustrated by our behavior. And not because that's what we "should" do - but because He loves us and we love Him. We let Him into the deepest recesses of our being; we allow Him to "know" us, the real us - not what we want to show Him or others, but the deep-down stuff. The relationship, the intimacy, is too important to us to want to jeopardize it. We look for His smile, we live to hear Him laugh.
From that place of intimacy, our prayers begin to look (and sound) different. Gone are the trappings of changed vocal tones and repetitive chanting, gone are the petulant and selfish demands, gone are the attempts at sanctified arm-twisting, it's just "Jesus and me - talking." Like best friends, like husband and wife having a bit of "pillow talk." That's when what really matters to us comes to the fore, and all the barriers and façades are stripped away and we share our heart with Him. Not what someone else is doing, not what the accepted prayer format is, not anything less - or more - than just talking about real things with Someone who's real and who really loves us far more than we can even begin to understand. And He begins to share His heart with us, to gently teach us what matters to Him.
I was reading the Psalms this morning in the Message. Psalm 25:14 jumped out at me. "God-friendship is for God-worshipers; they are the ones He confides in." Our picture of "what worship looks like" aside, it is basically seeking His face - not for what He can do for us but because of who He is: love, compassion, gentleness, goodness, acceptance, grace, - everything. Those very things make it possible for us to have a relationship with Him in the first place. To walk with Him, as Adam did in the cool of the evening before the fall of humankind, and as Enoch did in the days before the law was even given.
Not because we are worthy of it; we aren't. Not because we have a right to it; we don't.
But just because He is ours and we are His - we're wearing His ring in our hearts.
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