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Prayer (4)
'Seek His face continually.' 1 Chronicles 16:11 KJV
A good relationship is based on being sensitive to the other person’s needs, and to do that, you must make the relationship a priority and spend time together. The difference between ‘catching a few moments’ with the Lord and spending quality time with Him is like the difference between driving through McDonald’s and spending the evening at a fine restaurant. At McDonald’s you drive up, shout into a microphone and drive around to a window where they hand you a bag of food. In a fine restaurant you sit down, savour every bite in a relaxed atmosphere, and leave satisfied and nourished.
Too many of us live on spiritual fast food and never experience the banquet God has for us. The Bible says, ‘Seek His face continually.’ Have you learned how to stay in God’s presence and enjoy it? When it comes to prayer, we all face two challenges:
(1) Lack of desire. We complain about lack of time, but the truth is we make time for what we truly care about and enjoy. If you want to build an effective prayer life you must be willing to forfeit some things.
(2) We don’t know how. Find a place with no distractions. Take your Bible and a notepad with you. Use worship music to help you. Worship will change the atmosphere around you. Just do what works for you. And be patient! Sometimes it takes weeks or months before you develop a pattern, so stick with it—the rewards are worth it. And remember, prayer is a two–way street. It’s not about seeing how much you can tell God; it’s about learning to hear from Him as well.
written by Bob Gass
'Seek His face continually.' 1 Chronicles 16:11 KJV
A good relationship is based on being sensitive to the other person’s needs, and to do that, you must make the relationship a priority and spend time together. The difference between ‘catching a few moments’ with the Lord and spending quality time with Him is like the difference between driving through McDonald’s and spending the evening at a fine restaurant. At McDonald’s you drive up, shout into a microphone and drive around to a window where they hand you a bag of food. In a fine restaurant you sit down, savour every bite in a relaxed atmosphere, and leave satisfied and nourished.
Too many of us live on spiritual fast food and never experience the banquet God has for us. The Bible says, ‘Seek His face continually.’ Have you learned how to stay in God’s presence and enjoy it? When it comes to prayer, we all face two challenges:
(1) Lack of desire. We complain about lack of time, but the truth is we make time for what we truly care about and enjoy. If you want to build an effective prayer life you must be willing to forfeit some things.
(2) We don’t know how. Find a place with no distractions. Take your Bible and a notepad with you. Use worship music to help you. Worship will change the atmosphere around you. Just do what works for you. And be patient! Sometimes it takes weeks or months before you develop a pattern, so stick with it—the rewards are worth it. And remember, prayer is a two–way street. It’s not about seeing how much you can tell God; it’s about learning to hear from Him as well.
written by Bob Gass
