April 16
Luke 18:1-17
When I do pre-marital counseling, I tell couples that communication is key. How well they communicate will largely determine the quality of their relationship. This is not only true for marriages but also for our relationship with God; which is why Jesus seems to be constantly teaching about prayer. Luke 18:1-17 gives us three things Jesus wants us to understand about prayer. First, we need to be people who are always praying and not giving up. Our lives should become an unending conversation with God. We are to talk while at work, talk while driving, and talk while heading to bed. Since persistence in communication pays off on Earth with people who do not even care about us, how much more a God who loves us. So let us keep on praying.
Prayer should be marked by authenticity. We should not try to put on a show when we are talking to God, but we need to bring our true self before him. Notice the tax collector who with few words acknowledges his need for grace and mercy walks away justified; while the arrogant Pharisee with a well-prepared speech does not. As we pray let us be honest with our sin, worries, anxiety, and fear. God wants to be with us. This is probably the most staggering claim of the Bible. That the God of the universe wants to hear from us. So let us pray with perseverance, with honesty, and with the goal to be with God.
Father God, help me to regularly cry out to you. You are the one I need, so help nothing to keep me from you. Amen.
How can you pray in a way that makes the focus being with God?
When I do pre-marital counseling, I tell couples that communication is key. How well they communicate will largely determine the quality of their relationship. This is not only true for marriages but also for our relationship with God; which is why Jesus seems to be constantly teaching about prayer. Luke 18:1-17 gives us three things Jesus wants us to understand about prayer. First, we need to be people who are always praying and not giving up. Our lives should become an unending conversation with God. We are to talk while at work, talk while driving, and talk while heading to bed. Since persistence in communication pays off on Earth with people who do not even care about us, how much more a God who loves us. So let us keep on praying.
Prayer should be marked by authenticity. We should not try to put on a show when we are talking to God, but we need to bring our true self before him. Notice the tax collector who with few words acknowledges his need for grace and mercy walks away justified; while the arrogant Pharisee with a well-prepared speech does not. As we pray let us be honest with our sin, worries, anxiety, and fear. God wants to be with us. This is probably the most staggering claim of the Bible. That the God of the universe wants to hear from us. So let us pray with perseverance, with honesty, and with the goal to be with God.
Father God, help me to regularly cry out to you. You are the one I need, so help nothing to keep me from you. Amen.
How can you pray in a way that makes the focus being with God?
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