Prayer is Face to Face Fellowship with God
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) Faith is when you believe what God says and not what you feel. Pray by faith and later you will begin to sense the presence of God and learn to hear His voice, as you are changed. It is a great and awesome privilege to interact with the Creator of the universe in prayer.
What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! (Psalms 8:4-5 NASB) The word care above means to visit, to pay attention to, care for.
God created you for intimate fellowship with Him. Since the time of Adam, God desired relationship with those created in His image. God had face-to-face fellowship with Adam and Eve until one day. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8 KJV) This is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. People still have a tendency to hide from God because of sin.
The word presence means face. Adam and Eve could not face God after sin entered their lives. Their conscience was no longer comfortable in the presence of God's holiness. This is why God sent Jesus to Earth to shed His blood on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could be restored to our original purpose, intimate fellowship with God, our Father.
"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19 NASB) Again, the word presence here means face. When you humble yourself, turn to face your Father God, and seek Him with all your heart; He is with you and you are with Him, face to face. Whenever you seek God with your whole heart, you have His attention. Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. (Psalms 105:4 NASB)
God wants quality time with you alone. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6 NKJV) Prayer is not one sided, it is talking to God and listening to Him. Waiting on God, is when your attention is focused on Him and you wait quietly in His presence. It is a time to enjoy being with Him; the way you would enjoy spending time with a best friend. When you love someone, you enjoy just being in their presence, even when you are not talking to each other. Prayer is an expression of heart-felt desires; exchanged between you and the Father.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you, (1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV). In this verse, the word care means anything that causes you anxiety; it also means anything that causes a distraction. When I saw that, I immediately knew that a distraction is anything that is keeping you from experiencing the Kingdom of God; righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)
What is distracting you from experiencing God's righteousness, peace and Joy? You must bring those things to Him, in prayer. God is a loving Father. He wants you to give Him all your anxieties, fears and distractions and He will carry them for you and give you His righteousness, peace and joy in exchange.
The next verse tells why this is important. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NIV) Things in your life that cause fear and distractions can also be an open door for your enemy.
Talk to God about everything that is happening in your life. You may be thinking, why do I need to tell God everything in my heart since, He knows everything? It is for your benefit and the benefit of the relationship and so He can help you. You will find that as you present yourself to Him and spend time sharing your heart with Him you will begin to have new understanding as He also shares His perspective. There is a divine heart to heart exchange that happens in prayer. This will affect every area of your life that you share with God in prayer.
When you present yourself to God and turn your heart to face Him, your perspective is changed and you are changed. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NKJV)
Prayer is Divine Fellowship
It is good to have daily designated times for alone time with God in prayer. However, prayer is also practicing the presence of God and should be thought of as continuous open communication. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) Prayer is a lifestyle of being God conscious and having constant access to the heart of your Father and in Heaven.
God desires to make you His home of fellowship. Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23 NKJV) You are a house of prayer. And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER, (Matthew 21:13 NKJV). Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3 NKJV)
Below are some other verses about Prayer
As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. (Psalms 55:16-18 NKJV)
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2 NLT)
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. (1 Chronicles 16:10-11 NIV)
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, (Luke 18:1 NASB)
"Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38 NASB)
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. (Psalms 25:9 NIV)
The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 29:19 NKJV)
For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (Isaiah 57:15 NKJV)
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36 NKJV)
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. (Psalms 46:1 NKJV)
Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. (Psalms 105:4 NASB)
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)
Author – Gary Robert Ballard
Organization - Seek God Ministries
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