Pray with honesty

As I began praying the psalms and letting these ancient songs pray for me, honesty began to feel natural. Rather than being irreverent, my truthful prayers felt God-honoring. Instead of creating a sense of guilt, they freed me to pour out my heart and discover new depths of grace. At its core, prayer is an honest conversation with the God who is absolute truth. When our prayers lack honesty, they lack power. Praying with an open heart means recognizing that God already sees everything. Even what we wish was hidden. This frees us to express ourselves with intentional transparency because we know that God is sovereign and omniscient. He knows everything about us and he still loves us.

Three Lessons About Speaking to God

   John 14:9-14 When Jesus teaches about prayer in John 14, we should tune in and prepare to learn. His words are bold and epic. The promises seem almost too big to believe. Jesus says things such as, we will do the kind of works he has been doing, we will do greater things than what he had done, and we could ask for anything in his name and he would do it. This sounds like a blank check and an absolute promise. But when we look closer, we learn that God is inviting us to speak, listen, and trust his wisdom. What is Jesus teaching us about speaking to the God who is always listening? God invites us to ask. Since God is listening, he is ever ready to hear our prayers and receive our requests. But God is not a Santa Claus who waits for our list of the presents we want once a year. We are to ask with humility and wisdom. God wants to hear our desires and passions, but he delights when these are being shaped and formed by his presence in our lives and his will for the world around us. We are to do this in the name of Jesus. For so many of us, this means that we tag the words “In the name of Jesus” on the end of our prayer. But when Jesus calls us to pray in his name, he is calling us to pray as he would pray. Ambassadors do not say whatever they want and place the weight of a country behind their words. Instead, they are to faithfully represent the name and will of their country. In the same way, when we pray in the name of Jesus, we are declaring that our prayer is consistent with the heart of Jesus and the will of the Father. Our requests and the fruit of our prayers are meant to bring glory to the Father. When we pray, we should always be asking the question, would this bring praise and honor to the God who saved me? Will this prayer, if answered in the affirmative, lift up God and glorify his holy name? Before praying today, think about the requests you are going to bring to God. How can you offer your petitions to God in a way that is humble, Christlike, and God-honoring?

Hearing from God

You can develop a holy habit of hearing the voice of the Shepherd if you will be serious and intentional about this part of your spiritual life: Sit, kneel, stand, lie down, or take a walk in a quiet setting. Find a posture and a place that help you seek God. Remove distractions. Wait on the Lord and keep your heart open. Invite God to speak. Declare to him that you want to be ready to follow where he leads. Commit to do all you can, with his power leading you, to follow him. Identify the source. If you feel that you hear something, ask yourself, “Where is this coming from?” If you suspect it is coming from your own mind or from the enemy, set this message aside. But if you think what you are hearing is from the Lord, move to the next step. Test it against Scripture. The Holy Spirit of God will never lead a child of God to act in a way that is against what is revealed in the Bible. Take note of God’s peace. God is Sovereign Lord over all things, and when he is present, his peace is nearby. Get wisdom in community. Ask for confirmation and wisdom from godly men and women and invite them into a process of praying for and with you. Submit and obey. This may be a call to repentance, a direction for an important life decision, or a direction toward serving, giving, or reaching out to someone. Learn to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd. As time passes, you will discover that you are hearing his voice with increasing clarity and confidence. Follow this step-by-step process as you seek to hear the voice of your loving Shepherd in your prayer time today.

Inspired to pray

Three distinct things that should inspire us to pray.
1. He carries us. Idols have no life, they must be carried, and they are actually a burden to those who believe in them and must tote them around. In stark contrast, our God carries us in our times of pain, loneliness, and brokenness. We have all had moments of loss, sorrow, sickness, and pain. In those times we rightly say things like, “If God had not carried me, I would have never made it.”
2. He sustains us. These are the times we keep walking on our own two feet, but the power and presence of our Creator helps us endure the challenges and weather the storms. In these moments we don’t need to be carried, but we absolutely need to be infused with his divine power and aware of his intimate presence. This empowers us to walk on and keep following him.
3. He rescues us. Because he made us and loves us, there are times when God simply delivers us from ourselves or the actions and harm others might bring upon us. I am convinced that on the other side of this life, we will see the countless ways God has intervened on our behalf, often without us having any idea. Of course, the greatest rescue is when Jesus died on the cross and bore our sins, shame, and the judgment we deserved. If we live each day with a deeply biblical and personal conviction that our Creator carries us, sustains us, and rescues us, we will be compelled to communicate with him. Prayers of praise will flow from our hearts and lips. Cries for help will be frequent, because we will know he loves to deliver us. Confession of our need and brokenness will be uttered. When our eyes are open to see the love and care of our Creator, prayer comes naturally and freely.

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4 NIV
https://isaiah.bible/isaiah-46-4

Praying with eyes open

Praying with eyes wide open can become a lifestyle. This means shifting our thinking about prayer and at times literally keeping our eyes open when we pray. By making this small shift, we discover we can pray at all times and in all places.

There are many and varied postures for prayer taught and modeled in the Bible. Closing our eyes is not one of them.

Pray continually...the presence of God

One Bible passage that troubled me for years and caused me to struggle is a seemingly simple two-word exhortation: “Pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17). I wanted to obey God’s call and follow his teaching . . . but how? How was I to pray without ceasing? How could I stay aware of God every moment and communicate my love with every breath? How could anyone measure up to this spiritual expectation? After years of struggling with this passage, the Holy Spirit breathed a simple truth of understanding into my soul that changed everything. When the veil was lifted and I saw the real meaning of this passage, joy descended and prayers were expressed with a new freedom and passion. Here is what God taught me: It is not that we have to pray continually; it is that we get to pray continually! This is a paradigm shift of heavenly proportions. It changed everything for me, and I hope it is just as transformational for you. It is not that you and I have to pray every moment of every day. God will not be disappointed with you if you don’t pray all the time. The wonder and joy is that the Maker of heaven and earth invites you and me to commune with him at all times and in all places. When we are ready to communicate with the God of eternity, his eyes, ears, and arms are always wide open. Prayer, in its simplest form, is about being in the presence of the God who made us and loves us. It is about relationship. When we learn to pray with our eyes wide open, we will discover in new and greater ways that we are not alone. We sense more deeply and intimately that God is with us in the depths of pain, depression, sadness, and fear. He is also present at the heights of ecstasy, joy, and delight.

Gifts of the Spirit

When we create the hunger for things that are righteous in the sight of God,  and our purpose for seeking those righteous things is to help grow the church of God spiritually and numerically, then the Lord will grant our desires. It's a remarkable thing to possess the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you have a heart for serving people, you would be absolutely delighted when the Lord uses you to bring joy to people who come your way.  There are 9 spiritual gifts readily available for any child of God who is thirsty, hungry and desires for them. How do you feel when you see sick people? Do you pray for them? Do you desire to have the wisdom and knowledge of the Bible so you can help your church grow? If you see yourself hunger after righteousness then it's time to seek the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given to those who fervently ask the Lord.