Do you go to God seeking His will for your life or do you simply want something from Him? This is a critical question because your prayers to God are not for changing Him or to beg Him to do what you want Him to do. Rather, it is to be changed by God and to be empowered to do His divine will. Man is transformed in prayer, not God. You cannot exploit God, but you can submit yourself to Him and let God use you.
It remains a mystery as to why we seem to treat God as Santa Claus or some benefactor who will give us our heart's desire and yet, require nothing of us. We want to "use" God for our own selfish purposes and give nothing in return. We seem to want God to hear our prayers but we suddenly become deaf when He speaks. Well, God is deaf to the prayers of those who are deaf to His will.
We diminish the integrity of our prayers when we foolishly attempt to use God as a means of straightening out the mess we, ourselves, have created. Getting yourself in debt and begging God to get you out from under is not praying. Mumbling words to Him when your back is against the wall is not praying. Praying means going to God on His terms, not ours. It means drawing nearer to Him in humble submission, realizing our unmitigated unworthiness before His Holy Highness.
When we pray, we pray to the Holy with a penitent spirit. Prayer is the language of worship and recognition of our total dependence on Him. We submit ourselves and approach Him as the sinners we are who have been saved by His amazing grace. As the recipient of His mercies we offer up our grateful thanksgiving and praise in humble adoration. Our prayers honor Him with the glory due His name.
Prayer is central to our very existence; it is our communication line to God. A Christian without an authentic prayer life is like a bird without wings. We get nowhere.
When you pray, confess your sins and weaknesses and turn all your concerns over to Him. Talk to Him as you would to your best friend and confidant. Tell Him all about what is troubling you as if He did not know. Be honest and forthright. Do not hold back anything. Then ask God for guidance, help, strength, mercy, forgiveness, and intercession for others.
Authentic prayer emanates from a deep spiritual need and you understand where to go to get the need met.
Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.
Have you ever wondered how much faith you really have?... Read More
The teacher of the future.... will be a master of... Read More
The gate of every year is the begining of that... Read More
Have you ever experienced a traumatic event? I'm sure the... Read More
Good morning Roy, good morning JosethWhat about me, were do... Read More
The truth revealed as we read about Hazael also reminds... Read More
Well I had a website that I was posting on... Read More
Most of us know that the universe - God's universe... Read More
I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just... Read More
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that... Read More
Water of Enlightenment, Angel of Peace and Harmony for Nature... Read More
I seemed to have lost my heart. Now this is... Read More
"Ask and it shall be given" is a phrase we... Read More
Picture this state of existence in your mind by closing... Read More
I'm not sure Paul had the Japanese culture in mind... Read More
Shamanism is an ancient form of mysticism. Although... Read More
Unconditional love means unconditional freedom. Love and freedom are two... Read More
Have you ever felt like throwing up your arms and... Read More
Angels, those divine beings of love and light, are here... Read More
Recently it has come to my attention people are noticing... Read More
It's human nature to point a finger when we think... Read More
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,... Read More
There are many contradictions in life and none more easily... Read More
forgiveness stories quotes definition and loveForgiveness is that quality in... Read More
Mormons like to give testimonies. Unlike Mormon testimonies, I will... Read More
Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 (NIV) We... Read More
What does it take to live life holistically?It definitely does... Read More
It's late. But it's usually those words that you cannot... Read More
Whenever we have the opportunity to make human assessments, the... Read More
God made humans in his image but these days very... Read More
It is my personal view that the reason we call... Read More
There is a chronology of events from creation to the... Read More
I honestly am not sure why this hit me so... Read More
Saturday I was hangin' ten on my Dell when I... Read More
Kundalini Awakening - the sure shot method for awakening of... Read More
We make sense of our world via the senses. The... Read More
What is the purpose of guilt?Well, let's look at it.Some... Read More
Chaos: "complete confusion" and "the formless void before the creation... Read More
Universal Law is an invisible influence in every individual's life,... Read More
The formula for spiritual growth is given briefly in 2... Read More
Most of life can be said to be bad, or... Read More
I still remember the scene vividly. I was getting out... Read More
Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as... Read More
"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors... Read More
Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in... Read More
We've all heard the saying, "You have to forgive, but... Read More
Lately In my email newsletters (available for FREE at http://www.ChristThroughMe.com... Read More
Among those arriving to the stadium early were two old... Read More
When the Bible makes reference to a "yoke" it is... Read More
So I met a friend recently and we went to... Read More
Spirituality |