He already knows what we want.
He knows what needs to be done.
Why bother?
Why doesn't God just do what needs doing without all the fuss?
Take what He did to Mary, for instance, right after the resurrection:
Mary stood outside the tomb, crying...she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize Him. "Woman'" He said, "why are you crying?"..."Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him." Jesus said to her, "Mary". She cried out, "Rabboni!"--John 20:10-16
Mary knew Jesus thoroughly, pined for Him, mourned His death.
And He stood there, right beside her.
Why didn't she recognize Him?
Because He didn't want her to. Not then. Not yet.
Jesus wanted Mary ready for Him. He wanted her as much as she did Him, and jealously. He wanted her completely focused on Him, fully in His presence.
This is prayer.
It brings us fully before God. Prayer is our opening the door to His knock.
Christ says,
Ask and it will be given to you.--Matthew 7:7
And it is.
Not because we ask--God already knew what we were going to say--but because we have come properly into His presence.
This is His throne room. This is the place to which He invites us, saying,
Test me.--Malachi 3:10
Taste of me.--Psalm 34:8
Come to me, all you who are weary.--Matthew 11:28
Prayer is a mechanism. It does not have power because of its activity.
It has power because of the place to which it brings us.
Prayer brings us into communion with our God.
We're neighbors today over at WIPWednesday and I couldn't help but smile wide the topic you wrote about. I wrote about praying without ceasing ... ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's a communion with God...Yes and amen!
communication is key in any relationship, yes?
and to me, the most important aspect is it is not a one-way-street. We need to practice listening as He always responds to our prayers in one form or another...
Thrilled to meet you today!
Nikki--You are so right about the listening, too. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteJoAnne--
ReplyDelete"Prayer is a mechanism. It does not have power because of its activity.
It has power because of the place to which it brings us."
your small but mighty posts speak so powerfully.
Yes, we are changed when we are in His Presence. That's what prayer is.
So well done.
"It has power because of the place to which it brings us."
ReplyDeleteI love how you worded this.
Seems God has you, Nikki, amd myself on the same page, today. We all three posted about prayer. :-)
Thank you of the beautiful post!
oh, the prayer of being in His presence..wonderful write :) Funny, I mentioned Luke 11:9-10 in my post...linked up behind you at Denise in Bloom...nice to meet you, Mrs. P ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd you, too, Dolly. Guess this is the day for thinking about prayer.
DeleteI received a bookmark in the mail today from Charles Stanley about the importance of prayer. Timely post for me.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Joan
hello there, my new neighbor at faith-filled fridays! so glad i stopped by. thank you for this refreshing gulp of Truth this morning. it reminds me much of my own processing of prayer. in fact, in a piece i wrote in the spring ("unable to pray"), i shared about how inadequate i felt to pray for a friend dying of cancer, & the liberating truth that the Lord revealed to me re: where the power is, & where it isn't. (praise God!!) i included this quote that i think you'll enjoy, too:
ReplyDelete"Jesus responds not to the eloquence of our prayers, but to our pain . . .
Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference."
– Max Lucado (He Still Moves Stones)
and that's exactly what you've reminded us here.
blessings to you, my neighbor,
tanya
So right, Tanya, and recalls how the Spirit responds to our groans that words cannot utter. I still have to remember that it is not the words of my prayers that move God (which is why He often doesn't answer them as we ask or expect) but it is my heart inclined toward Him that connects to access the real power. Thanks so much for your insightful comment.
DeleteGreat teaching on prayer! So thankful that it helps us focus, and "brings us fully before God". Blessings!
ReplyDeleteawesome message....great reminder that nothing is impossible when we pray
ReplyDelete