Prayer requires faith deep in the heart of the one who is bound to a hope where there is a listening ear. There is hidden within that heart a knowing which defies the natural circumstance pushing beyond the veil of glory reaching into the realm of the HOLY.
Prayer is meant to bring us to a place of abandon. We strip ourselves of the cares which so easily beset us, drawing near to the heart of the Father.( 2 Peter 5:7) The process of cutting away the ropes which bind us to the material is painful, it is energy depleting, it is humbling. We must humble ourselves before the Lord, pouring out all that has taken residence in order to be the clean and empty vessel which His love can fill.
Yet this is easier said than done. It is not natural for us to let go of the worry and the real in exchange for the intangible evidence of hope. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, however, that faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not yet seen. We have to have Faith when we come to God in prayer ( Heb 11:6); Faith comes to us as we camp in the Word. ( Rom 10:17)
Prayer is closely linked with our faith.
It is a manifestation of the purpose of relationship which the fullness of God’s joy completes in His children. It is where we come close and are cut quick. Our time seeking and knocking on the door of prayer is meant to be a paring of our heart; a diverging of our will spilled out in surrender to the Master’s own. The problem, though, is that we spend far too much time resisting, with proud and stony hearts of flesh, than we do in yielding to the pruning which the Master Gardner has lovingly planned in advance. Knowing that we will not find joy in this discipline, He promises there will be joy in the result. ( Hebrews 12:11)
At times prayer seems dissatisfying because we feel we are not achieving the results we long for. Does this sound familiar to you?
The hopes and goals which we are praying for, desiring, and looking towards are so heavy on our hearts that perhaps our vision is askew.
The Book of Hebrews chapter 10 reminds us to examine our hearts before we come to the altar of grace. To look deep and to contemplate the state of our own conscience, and if it is clean we can know that we have confidence before the Father. We can stand assured that we are being heard and that when we pray according to His Will He hears us and will answer our prayers.
How many times have you come to the throne only to turn away with emptiness deep within? How many times do you feel the words are only reaching the ceiling?
This is where I encourage you to look to the hills from where your help comes from. He is the hope, your portion in this life, the giver of mercy and healer of the broken-hearted.( Psalm 121:1, 119:57; Lam 3:23; Isaiah 61:1)
Through our own humanity prayer brings us to the place of true humility; emptying ourselves of all that is limiting us from seeing the beauty of the Holy. We come to the prayer room with eyes which are veiled, but we should leave with vision transformed. The transfiguration of our sight changes the plea.
A change in our view of the purpose of prayer will drastically alter our request at the Altar.
The place of prayer magnifies the beauty of the purpose of prayer. Prayer isn’t just about getting what we want from God but getting to God. We are pushing into Glory for the purpose of reaching the Holy. His holiness, His beauty, His loveliness are all extended to those who are meant to inherit the Kingdom, never withheld. Sometimes, however, we are bent on passing on the list in place of receiving grace. Often, we miss the gift of his companionship in our hurting and our hoping that we fail to take from prayer the passionate embrace of the One who loves us deeply.
Grace is the gift, it cannot be earned or bought. It is the extension of the Merciful One who longs to meet our every need with the sufficiency of Heaven’s storehouse. As you go to the altar, release the material, the temporal, the broken pieces of this life and be filled with His love for you. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God; and in His perfect love fear has no hold. Come boldly to the throne to obtain his mercy, grace and well-timed help for your every need. Come away from the Cross with your heart full, your vision changed, and your heart made whole.
Be blessed in abundance in the richness of His promises for you.
Do not, therefore fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away and enjoy to the full what is promised.
~Hebrews 10:35-36
Please feel free to share a prayer request in the comment section or by email to dawnboyer@journeysingrace.com
