It made me think. Am I a junk mail sender to the Lord when
I pray?
How do you or I begin our prayers? Do we go right into One
to one time with a long list of requests? Or, do we begin by worshiping the One
whose presence is worthy?
King David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22),
implied in Psalm 37:4 that the priority in our lives and in prayer is to
delight ourselves in the Lord—to worship Him—and then consider our petitions in
light of that worship.
As believers, our lives are about knowing our Lord. We do
that by abiding in Him, the Living Word, and by letting His truth “shape all
that we are—and all that we think.” (Daniel Henderson)
Jesus Himself puts it this way, “If you remain in Me and My
words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in
your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7
AMP) His beloved disciple wrote, “Now this is the confidence that we have in
Him, 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 the petitions that we
have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NKJ)
Daniel Henderson wrote, “The Holy Spirit empowers us to know
Christ. Worship-based prayer brings us to a greater sensitivity and surrender
to the Holy Spirit. As a result, our prayers become Spirit-fueled.” That means
we pray by His power and in His wisdom and guidance.
So, when we come to our Lord in prayer, if our first
priority is praise and adoration of the One, we won’t be sending God junk mail.
Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!” Angels listen as I sing
my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank
you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is
your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you
made my life large with strength.
Psalm 138:2 (Message)
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