"God has put eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecclesiastes.3:11) He has 'wired' us to enquire and to seek after Him. This is at the heart of connecting with Him. It is the same sort of enquiry that comes from wanting to know who our parents were. Where we came from? Who are we? As well as the natural enquiry however there is also a spiritual enquiry - to seek after our Heavenly Father by and in whose image we are also made.
This is at the essence of prayer. Prayer is about communing with our Heavenly Father. One of the best ways to commune with God is to use the Bible as a prayer guide. Psalms for example continue to be one of the most well used sources for both prayer and praise. David, the author of most of the Psalms meditated upon the word of God "day and night". To meditate is to mutter. It is an active communication. It is declarative.
Speaking the promises of God are a great way to pray to God. Jehoshaphat's famous prayer to God appealed to the promise that God had made with Abraham when he declared "Are you not God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever." When threatened with annihilation, Jehoshaphat prayed an ancient covenant. We can do the same today. When God spoke to him through Jahaziel, He told Jehoshaphat "do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude for the battle is not yours but God's...position yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you..." (2 Chronicles 20:15,17) When we pray upon His promises we can be assured that God will encourage and embolden. Our responsibility in prayer, is to 'position ourselves' so that we see His finished work and begin to declare His promises.
As we do this, we will grow in faith. We will also begin to remember the word of God. The spirit of God will act upon the word of God that is in our hearts. We will begin to develop a Biblical world view instead of a cultural world view. In other word we will see what God sees and begin to hear what He says.
When we make Jesus the focus of our enquiries we will also develop a passion for Him. We will begin to see the Bible as God's love story for all people. If when we read the Bible - I suggest reading it aloud - and when we pray upon that which we are reading, we will get 'double benefit'.
As you do this, you will hunger for more of Him. Prayer will become dynamic because you will also hear from heaven.
This blog is based on a message by Ross Smith at The Vine church, Springwood, Logan City, Queensland, Australia on 17/04/16. The full message can be accessed by podcast from www.thevine.org.au/teaching
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