PRAYING WITH ALL YOUR HEART

Simple questions can sometimes be the most important questions we ask. Not too long ago at Prayer Meeting, our pastor asked us a very good question. I've not stopped thinking about it ever since. He asked, "What is prayer?"

I once heard a little boy give this definition-- "Prayer is asking God for things." It's like calling 911 when you're in danger. When troubles come, we get on our knees and pray. And there's nothing wrong with that. In Psalm 34, David prayed, "I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears" (verse 4). "The righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles" (verse 17). So whatever we're going through, Jesus is there and always ready to be the answer for whatever we're facing.

But great as that is, is that all there is to prayer? Have you ever thought that it might be a way to KNOW God? I have to tell you, until recently, I never thought about prayer like that. For years, I've been like that little boy, thinking prayer was only about asking God for stuff. But this morning, I want to share with you how prayer is much more.

Think about the closest relationships you've ever had. How did that relationship start? If you're like me, it probably began with some kind of pursuit. You wanted to get to know them. Something about that person drew you in. That's what God does for each one of us--He always initiates the relationship. He's the One who woos us with His everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He's the One who fills us with a hunger to know Him. And He doesn't want us to merely know about Him. He wants something much deeper and fuller than any relationship we've ever had.

He wants to know us through prayer. So a good beginning is to ask ourselves, "Why do I want Jesus?" 

Let's start out by exploring a familiar story, the one about the loaves and fishes. You remem-ber that one--when a little boy shared his lunch with Christ on a hill in Galilee. Thousands had been listening to Jesus all morn-ing and everyone was hungry. But there was no food to feed them with--only this boy's lunch of 5 loaves and 2 small fish. But when Jesus blessed it, the food multiplied in His hands and everyone had enough and to spare.

As the bread was passed from person to person, a crazy momentum began to build. Stronger and stronger the momentum grew-- until everyone thought, “Jesus is the Messiah! The Messiah is with us!” They tried to rush forward and crown Him king, to even use force if they had to. But Jesus knew what was happening. He knew if their plans materialized, it would lead to senseless bloodshed and His mission for us would have been squelched. So Jesus had to stop this mad frenzy. He told His disciples to row to the other side of the lake. He sent the multitudes home. And then, Jesus went up to the mountain to pray. He needed time alone with His Father.

But the news of the miracle spread like wildfire. Multitudes searched for Jesus by land and by sea. They thought He went to Bethsaida so they all went looking for Him there.

But why? Why did they want Jesus? Did they crave to hear His words? Had they burned in their hearts like a fire? Were they drawn by His compassion and love? I'm afraid not. They looked for Jesus like a child looks in the window of a toystore. All they could think was "I want...I want..." Sure they wanted Jesus. They knew if they could attach themselves to Him, they'd have everything they ever dreamed of: health, riches, power--they'd have it all!  But   they didn't really want Jesus--only what He could give them.

In John 6, Jesus nails it on the head. "I tell you, you are looking for Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves" (verse 27, NRS). In other words, "Desire not merely His blessing, but Himself" (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pg. 131). It's okay to ask for God's help when you've lost a loved one. It's perfectly fine to ask for forgiveness. Just don't stop there. God wants to bless us, but He has so much more to give. More than loaves and fishes. More than health or strength. More than stuff and more stuff.

"Seek and you will find. Yield to that drawing. Christ is pleading the cause of the tempted, the erring, and the faithless" (ibid). I fit in that sentence somewhere, don't you? Tempted, making mistakes, falling down, walking away. But Jesus is seeking us anyway! "He is seeking to lift them into companionship with Himself." The Bible re-echoes that theme. "If you seek Him, He will be found by you!" (1 Chronicles 28:9) Isn't that great news? And it says so much about prayer!

Jesus wants to be our Provider, our Healer, and Redeemer. But He wants to give us something that goes beyond those gifts. He wants to give us Himself! I see this so clearly in this verse--"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Can you hear His love poured out in this verse? I hear Him saying, "My child, I know you're hungry, but what you need most is Me. I know you're lonely, but I am here. You need communion with Me, mind to mind and heart to heart."

Our prayers can bring us into that kind of companionship with Jesus, into an intimacy with Him that we've never had before. We may know Christ's presence at every step. We may hear His voice clearly each and every day. We may even hear Him say, "This is the way; walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21).

But prayer is much more than clear-cut guidance. I'm talking about the heart of and soul of prayer. It's very essence is a deep encounter with God. It's coming right into the presence of the Lord. It's entering an atmosphere so heavenly that you can almost hear the flutter of angel's wings. Prayer can be like that if we will take the time to linger and to open our hearts to the One who loves us so.

BIG PRAYERS

“Open your mouth wide and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10).

This summer a pair of robins built a mud nest in a sheltered spot on our deck. Every day we watched the mother sitting calmly on her eggs, waiting for the arrival of her new family. How we wanted to see those little chicks! So whenever the mother flew off, we’d climb up the ladder and peek into the nest. First we counted four sky blue eggs. But in a few days, those eggs cracked open and four naked chicks emerged.

As the little robins grew, we didn’t need the ladder anymore. If we sat quietly on the deck, we could see the tops of 4 downy chicks. And when their mama arrived with breakfast, all we could see were four mouths, open so wide, all you could see was mouth!

I always think of those baby birds when I read Psalm 81:10: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” For even before those babies saw any kind of food, they opened their mouths WIDE. They anticipated a big meal, opening their little beaks so they could get it all. 

When we come to Jesus, do we pray with the same anticipation as these little birds? Do we expect big things from God? Or do we settle for just a meager blessing? God wants us to expect big things from Him. He is a big God, isn’t He? Doesn’t He have all power in heaven and earth? So why are we afraid to reach for the sky when God is able to do far more than we could ever ask or think? 

Think for a moment about all that this promise implies. Who exactly Is standing behind these words? Don’t skip over the first part too quickly—“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Before God tells us to do anything, He reminds us to look at who He is. 

• He is your Lord, your Redeemer, who set you free and delivered you from slavery.

• He is the same God who sent ten crippling plagues upon Egypt, to reveal that He is God of all, more powerful than all the gods man can ever invent.

• He is the One who led you to the brink of the Red Sea, guiding you through a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He has been with you every step of your exodus.

• And when Pharoah and all his soldiers chased after you and you were hemmed in by the mountains, with no way of escape, your God parted the Red Sea so you could cross on dry land. Then He released His hold on the waters and they came back together, swallowing up your enemies with all their horses and chariots.

This same God, who delivered you with such a mighty hand and a flexed arm says to you today—“Open your mouth WIDE and I will fill it.” 

Have you ever realized that Jesus saved you to bless you? And not with just a little blessing, but with all the treasures of heaven! “His divine power has given to us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3,4). 

God’s power makes all things available to you and me—that means everything that we possibly need to walk with Jesus and perfectly reflect His character before the world! But this power can't be separated from Jesus. It comes through the “knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”

Do you know God? Have you seen how big He really is? He has all power at His command. And this same power can be yours and mine as we grab ahold of His promises.

For “the creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in the word of God. This word imparts power; it begets life! Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the LIFE of the Infinite One” (Education, pg. 126). Is it any wonder that Jesus is called the Word of God? 

His very presence is packed into every word He speaks. God is in His Word and that Word is packed with power. Power to move mountains. Power to drive Satan away. Power to have new life in Christ. Whatever is blocking your view of Jesus or keeping you from receiving the fullness of God, you’ll find the remedy in God's Word. You'll find the power to overcome it.

So dream big. Pray big. And expect big things from God. He is able to “do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

POUR OUT YOUR HEART

“Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8).

Hannah’s home was broken. For years she’d been happy in the love of her husband. Peace filled their house. And yet, there was a shadow that never lifted. For Hannah couldn’t have children.  She was barren. We might say ‘infertile’ today. And in a society where a woman’s value was linked directly to motherhood, did Hannah feel like less of a woman? Did she think something was wrong with her? Was God punishing her for something she’d done wrong? We don’t really know what went through her head, but she was apparently in deep anguish.

And to make matters worse, her devoted husband takes matters into his own hand. In spite of  the history of Abraham and Jacob, whose homes were marked with bitterness and strife, he takes a second wife, so he could have a son. This second marriage was blessed by many children,  both sons and daughters. And year after year, Hannah had to stand by and watch.  She had endure the harassment from her proud rival, who rubbed her nose into her own success and ultimately Hannah’s failure as a woman.

But even though Hannah’s hopes seemed crushed and her life a weary burden, she met her trial with uncomplaining meekness. She held it all inside because not even Elkanah—though he loved her still—could understand her pain. “Why do you weep?” he cried. “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (1 Samuel 1:8)

Hannah knew there was only one person she could share her burden with. So when the family went to Shiloh to celebrate the annual feast, Hannah slipped away to the tabernacle. From the depths of her heart, she pled with God to take away her reproach. If only she could have a son to raise for Him!

Hannah poured out her heart to God, even vowing that if He would give her a baby, she would dedicate this child to Him. She prayed aggressively and with such intensity that she could not even speak, though the tears ran down her cheeks. For “she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord, and wept in anguish” (1 Samuel 1:10). “She communed with God in silence, uttering no sound” (Patriarchs and Prophets, pg. 570). The grief that had been so bottled up, spilled out like water. And God heard his daughter’s cry.

Hannah’s prayer was a fervent prayer—a prayer like Jacob’s as he wrestled with Christ on the banks of the Jabok River. Like Jacob, she would not go until her prayer was heard. She would not let go of God’s love!

 Hannah was truly a woman of prayer and deep faith. She didn’t hold onto her pain. She didn’t rely on man to solve her problem. She laid it all out before Jesus because she knew He loved her. He understood what she was going through. And He held the answer.

When our hearts are full of pain of any kind, we can go to Jesus and pour it all out. No tear will fall to the ground unnoticed. No struggle will be ignored. God understands what we’re going through and He won’t be deaf to our cries. Even if we can’t utter a sound like Hannah. He will still hear us and answer our prayers.

I think if we could see Jesus face to face, we’d see Him throwing out a life-line to us. Prayer is our life line to heaven. And if we grab ahold of that life line, we’re grabbing ahold of Jesus. He won’t let go of His end. He will never let you go!

And if we keep holding onto our end, He’s gonna pull us out of whatever pain we’re in right now. Just as He did for Hannah.

Hold onto the love He has for you. “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my defense I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God.”