True Prayer

 “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” James 5:16 (NKJV).All over the world, in every culture, on every continent, and throughout history you find people who pray. They pray to literally millions of god, to ancestors, spirits, some force, angels, saints, rocks, trees, fetishes, demons, and even Satan. They pray according formulas, rituals, traditions, in special places, facing certain directions, use incantations, liturgies, repetitions, and much more. True prayer, however, hinges on who one prays to, actually praying, and on faith.There is only one true and living God, the Almighty, the Creator of all, who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are no other real gods beside Him. True prayer is directed to Him only, “Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be Your Name … Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Mathew 6:9&13). Sincerity, religious fervor, cultural norms, and personal preferences are no substitutes for who we’re praying to. Real prayer begins with, and is centered on, coming into the presence Holy God alone and there to speak with Him and listen to Him. Maybe you are tempted to raise the objections of narrowness and disrespect? But truth, spiritual and otherwise, is never disrespectful in itself and it is often narrow. For instance, in order to live you have to breathe; there is only one choice available. When it comes to time you can only acknowledge it and live within it but you can’t change it or chose an alternative. God is not defined by our preferences, our upbringing, and our choices. God defines himself; we can only know Him as He reveals Himself. We can pray to anything I want, but only if we come before the one and living God are we truly praying.Secondly, true prayer is actually engaging in a conversation with God. Jesus told his disciples/followers who wanted to know about praying, “When you pray …” (Luke 11:2). Prayer is not wishful thinking, it is not mindless ritual, it is not employing certain formulas, it is engaging in a real conversation that is born out of a real relationship with God, with the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. For that to happen we have to actually pray.Finally, true prayer engages with the living God on the basis of faith, believing that He exists (Hebrews 11:6), that He hears, that He has spoken (through the Bible, God’s written word/revelation), that He still speaks, that He responds to and answers our prayers. In prayer we believe that God is all-knowing (omniscient), that He knows us, our situation, and our needs inside and out. We believe God is all-powerful (omnipotent) so we can be confident that He is able to help, guide, provide, and supply. We believe that God is loving and good so we are sure that He cares and is not arbitrary or capricious. We believe that God is all-wise and so we know we can rest in His answers and timing even when they are difficult for us to understand. We believe that God is just and thus is against all evil and for all that is good and righteous and so we know what He blesses and what He opposes, and we can rest judgment in His hands. We know that God is merciful and gracious, giving us hope to find true forgiveness and transformation to be merciful and forgiving ourselves.“Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NASB).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans