“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
James 4:7-8
Since my stroke, I have known long nights of prayer, whether at home or in the hospital, prayers which have often focused on what I thought I needed from God. I have begun to very slowly learn that the purpose of prayer is not merely to inform God about the details of my life, my needs, and my solutions. It is to establish a relationship with Him. “The purpose of prayer is not for the disciple to bring information to God, the purpose of prayer is to experience intimacy with God” (David Platt, 2013).
Almost 100 years earlier, Scottish evangelist and teacher Oswald Chambers said in his well-known My Utmost for His Highest, “Prayer is not getting things from God. … Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship with God” (1924).
It may be hard to imagine that your rambling, simple prayers could be considered “perfect fellowship.” Remind yourself that coming to God in prayer is an amazing opportunity to build a relationship with the One who created you and redeemed you through the precious blood of Jesus Christ!
Almost 100 years earlier, Scottish evangelist and teacher Oswald Chambers said in his well-known My Utmost for His Highest, “Prayer is not getting things from God. … Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship with God” (1924).
It may be hard to imagine that your rambling, simple prayers could be considered “perfect fellowship.” Remind yourself that coming to God in prayer is an amazing opportunity to build a relationship with the One who created you and redeemed you through the precious blood of Jesus Christ!
Scripture Focus
James 4:1-10
Insight
“The essence of prayer is talking with God as you would to a beloved parent.” (John MacArthur, 2003)
Bible In A Year
- Numbers 33-34
- Psalm 78
- John 20
