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"Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person's life will suffer if he doesn't pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. ... We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the Biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself." (My Utmost for His Highest - Aug. 28)
I've been asking God to refresh my heart towards prayer. In the midst of busy days, it is so easy to adopt a wrong concept of prayer. To think of it as something we do, something we need to check off our "to do" list for the day. To even feel guilty if we do not spend time praying.
But I am reminded that it is so much more, that it is life itself. It is the connecting of hearts. It is a constant dialogue (I Thess. 5:17). It is listening to His Word, and staying in tune with His Spirit within.
The focus is not prayer - the focus is God. Yet, prayer is the incredible gift He has given us, a way to connect our heart with His. Prayer = Heart Connection.
Jennifer Kennedy Dean says in her powerful study book on prayer, Live a Praying Life, "Powerful praying is not a matter of knowing the right words to say, rather it is having a heart that is at God's disposal - open to hear His every sigh and whisper and to echo it in prayer."
The key to prayer - keeping my heart closely connected to God's heart. Making it my priority to seek Him above all else, every day, all through the day.
Prayer is - keeping company with Him all through each day, a connection of hearts.
"Keep company with Me,
and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
(From Matthew 11:28-30 The Message)
Thank You, Lord, for refreshing my heart, for giving me a fresh perspective on prayer, again. In my busyness - even the exciting, fun busyness of preparing for our upcoming trip to Italy - thank You for reminding me of the only way to live freely and lightly.
Yes. I also think of prayer too often as something to "do". Thanks for the reminder that it's not.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great time in Italy! I've never been there but would love to go.
I am learning that prayer is not so much as the "doing" but it's about "being". I am learning to just sit and be still in my prayer time and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart.
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