I sit here this morning pondering prayer. In Leonard Ravenhill's book, "Why Revival Tarries," a few quotes strike me with such power. He says, "One praying man stands as a majority with God." He goes on to say, "God sought for a man not to preach but to stand in the gap." In talking about Elijah Leonard Ravenhill says that he prayed, "no man can do more that for God."
God does not need us but he desires that we partner with him, become co-heirs. So what is prayer and why is it necessary. What does prayer accomplish and how should one pray?
I believe that purpose of prayer is for us to get to know God and His Son, Jesus. In Gen 1 God gave us dominion over all things. When Adam and Eve sinned that dominion was lost. The only way for the dominion for mankind to be returned was through a King. No man in history would restore what was lost. Only Jesus, entering lowly as man could restore this lost prize.
I am learning that prayer is not a time for me read off my list things that I want God to do for me. It is a time to get to know Him intimately. To gaze at his beauty and to gain a little understanding of who He is and what He has done. I realize that at the end of the day we cannot really know Him without revelation. Hans Urs Van Balthazar refers to this as the ecstasy of non-comprehension. Or what the great mystics called , "Negative Theology." We can never really know Him until He returns. But it is awesome to get into His presence and meditate on Him.
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"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15).
Prayer is something that I need work in. I try to do my high quality prayers to the Lord because of time constraints with attending a public college. Whenever I am alone, I try to make up for all the worldly rush and I believe everytime I do so, it's a win in our battle against the devil. If we ask for prayers in a self-promoting manner, the chances of getting them answered will be slim. God does his part if we do ours. And I feel everytime I pray, my relationship with God increases; he does answer prayers, and blesses as his word claims.
"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:3).
"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).
I totally agree. Prayer is the means to meet with God. It is our chance to know Him intimately. We all need encounter with the living God, otherwise it is just head knowledge that we come away with. Head knowledge is good but it is not the great thing. The great thing is meeting with our Lord and Savior. I desire encounter with Him daily.
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