by If you were to ask believers what they would want from their prayer lives, they might say “to get ahold of God and recieve answers!” Thanks to the work that Christ accomplished on the cross, we have the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies. So, why does God invite us to pray? He longs for us to have relationship with Him in order to know His heart!
Many great spiritual leaders have often shared their thoughts concerning prayer. Through consideration of scripture and their own experience in the presence of God, they share these insights.
- The ancients defined prayer as a climbing up of the heart unto God.—Martin Luther
- Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised.—John Bunyan
- Prayer is the contact of a living soul with God. In prayer, God stoops to kiss man, to bless man, and to aid in everything that God can devise or man can need.—E.M. Bounds
- Prayer is a time exposure of the soul to God.—E. Stanley Jones
- Prayer is the gymnasium of the soul.—Samuel M. Zwemer
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 (ESV)
This passage of scripture is often used in the context of encouraging unbelievers to answer the call of Jesus in their lives. Yet it was written to the believers at Laodicea. Why does He need to invite believers to fellowship with Him? After all, isn’t He already in relationship with them?
It is probably because He knows our human hearts can be easily distracted by life’s activities and responsibilities. So God is constantly knocking on the door of our heart with an invitation to spend time building our relationship with Him. Our response is necessary to fulfill our role in the relationship because He will not force us to be with Him.
We must take the initiative to create space for God in our lives. In other words, we need to protect space in our lives for Him so it doesn’t get filled up with less important things. The Psalmist said, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (ESV)
God invites us to be with Him AND know Him!
Why does God invite us to pray? Why is it such a priority to Him? It’s because we matter to Him!
God created the heavens and the earth with humans in mind. He set us at the center, loved us inspite of our failures and sent His Son to free us from the punishment of sin! He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and provided immeasurable grace! Who else would merit our attention more than our creator?
When we consider the foundation of the call to prayer, we look no further than the command of Jesus who said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 (ESV) This is the heart of God for our relationship with Him. To give to him our most treasured gift…our undivided love for Him!
Prayer is the primary way we express our love for Him and grow closer in our relationship to Him!
The privlege we have is to pray to a personal God who knows us and wants us to know Him. He desires that we have an intimacy in our relationship that is transformational to our heart and minds! True knowledge of Him must be connected to our love for Him. Because our experience in relationship equals knowing Him personally!
It begins with Christ!
If you don’t know Christ as your savior, it all begins with the first step. Committing your life to serve Him is the greatest decision you will make in your life! Finally, for more information on serving the Lord: CLICK HERE!
Thank you for reading, Why Does God Invite Us To Pray?
Blessings,
Chad
I am on a journey to post 300 blog posts in 365 days. So, join the journey by subscribing to my blog, connecting with my socials, like and commenting on my posts.
Also, go to the beginning of the Journey at this link! Journey to 300~Day 1: New Beginnings
Stay Connected! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Check out my page of recommended resources. Simply, Click here
1 Comment