Just Be (III)

I'm beginning to think that God is trying to get my attention, and radically alter/improve my prayer life! When writing Just Be, which was never intended to be a continuing saga, I mentioned that I should make more time for listening prayer rather than to just present God with a shopping list of requests. Today, I was reading the introductory section for the week, in the study notes that I follow. Seems to be part of a trend. I will quote it below, and for the sake of legality say that it is written by John Clevely, and can be found in Closer to God, which is produced by Scripture Union. Think that takes care of the lawyers bit!

" Touching the intangible

People complain about being used. You only want me for my body or my money or what you can get out of me... But how does God feel when we present a shopping list to him? Prayer is not a means to an end but an end in itself. There are of course many benefits to be gained from prayer, but the heart of prayer is our relationship with God. Getting things without getting God is missing the point. There are times when the concerns that we have brought to God are not changed, but we are. And this is an answer to our prayers that we do not always appreciate. We pray as best as we can and God answers as best he knows. We pray our way but God answers his way.

Prayer is not meant to be a brief period of praise followed by an all-out assault on God to give us our desires. Rather it is surrendering our will to his. Jesus conquered the overwhelming desire to pass the cup as he wrestled in prayer in Gethsemane. We never inform God of anything when we pray. He knows it all before we utter a sound.

Prayer is the highest act we can ever perform on earth. It touches the intangible and envisions the invisible. Prayer appeals to the highest authority in the universe and gets things done his way. Prayer does not bounce off the ceiling but enters heaven. Our prayers find an open door and a warm welcome. Even when there is an apparent delay in our receiving of an answer, God is not indifferent and inclines towards his people who he loves to hear and answer.

Prayer is an adventure and a constant challenge. The Holy Spirit is our greatest help when we pray, so before you go on with this series ask him to draw near and to make this a week of marked growth."

I say Amen to that. I'm looking forward to a week of challenging bible studies on prayer, which hopefully will continue me on my journey to Just Be.