I've been thinking a lot lately about how God must view my "relationship" with Him. I've heard all the analogies about parenthood...you know, how a loving parent could never stop loving their kids, even if the only reason they ever call is when they need something. "Hey Dad, I love you...and by the way, can I have $20 bucks?" or..."Hey Mom, love your hair...and by the way, can I spend the night at a Jamie's house?" or..."Mom, Dad, you guys are the greatest! Can I borrow the car Friday night?"
You get the idea...
But I want my relationship with Jesus to be more than that. And sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn't. The whole idea of prayer should be more about knowing Him, and less about getting something from Him. Psalm 37:4 offers an incredible promise to all those who know God, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Encouraging, isn't it? But in an effort to claim the latter part of that verse (giving us the desires of our heart), I often skip right past the first part (delighting in Him).
Which brings me back to this simple question: Is my prayer time a DELIGHT or a DUTY? Do I pray because I want friendship with Him, or because I want something from Him? The cool thing is that Psalm 37:4 tells us that one leads to the other--as long as we keep the right perspective. It ends up something like this: "God I love you, and you already know what I need, so let's just talk a while and I know you'll take care of that other stuff later."
Sounds more like a true relationship, huh? Of course, the alternative is always an option: "Hey Jesus, you look great today...and by the way, can I have $20 bucks?"
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true stuff here.
ReplyDeletemakes me think of how the main character in 'the shack' feels and how he struggles with his relationship with God.
i was listening to joyce meyer last week and andrew womack's program came on just after that & he was saying the same things about prayer...including how we've all heard people go from their normal speaking voice to this lower, slower voice and sometimes use words from the old english days, like since the king james vsn was written that way, he'll listen more intently, like it's his favorite dialect?
anyway, i've just been trying to talk to him like i'm talkin' to my husband...like a really respected friend, lately. i think he likes it when we do that.
Just like a kid, I delight in prayers that are answered. However, I am gulity of coming to God with a posture of I want something from him. To me, David captures your theme of coming to God to develop a relationship. Throughout the book of Psalm, David clearly expresses his desire to draw closer to God through prayer and worship.
ReplyDeleteAs I meditate on my prayer life over the coming months, I plan on developing a better relationship with him and not to just seek something from him.
Thanks Pastor David
Have a great day on purpose!
I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you, Pastor, that you've been looking really fit lately...I mean that...and I was wondering if I could borrow $20.
ReplyDeleteAll jokes aside, I too often feel like my prayers become pleas for something--health, finances, you name it. In trying to overcome this tendency, one of the examples I try and remember (as strange as this may be) is the main character in Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye. If you haven't seen it, you should. He talks to God throughout the film in a way that God is a friend walking next to him. He poses questions, he casts blame, when someone else comes around he whispers "I'll talk to you later." He even appears to be making eye contact, like God is this real person standing right there. I wish so often I could be so mindful of God's presence that I go to him first for everything, even just to talk.
I think being mindful of God's constant presence is the first step in establishing that close relationship we all need.
~Logan