"True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that-it is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth" -Charles Spurgeon
For many of us prayer has become a constant repetition of our needs and wants. We come to God in prayer much like the children who sit on Santa's lap every Christmas pulling out a long wishlist of items he/she wants. We tell God what we want, say "amen", and go about our day. Prayer becomes a task that we cross off of our to-do list each day. It becomes average and mundane.
The prayer that is concentrated on endless petitions (as important as these may be) oftentimes becomes dull, draining, and strenuous. We come out of the prayer closet the same way we walked in. As this type of prayer life continues, we may quickly become discouraged as time passes and we are still reciting the same petitions we had three years ago. We begin with great expectations and motivation yet time begins to work against us, proving that our prayers have all been in vain. We find ourselves disappointed, perhaps even bitter, towards God knowing that all the "work" we put into prayer has amounted to nothing.
What happens next becomes dangerous. We grow tired of all the toil that prayer requires. Suddenly we become too busy to pray. We begin to prioritize activities that really matter (meaning those things that bring immediate results/satisfaction in the natural realm). We begin to pray right before going to bed as we are half asleep, then we miss a day or two, and next thing you know, we do not remember the last time that we really prayed. Our calendars become too busy for God. The modern times in which we live also help to aggravate the issue. During Daniel's time in Babylon, the hindrance to prayer was threat of the lions den (Daniel 6:7-9). In today's age, the hindrances to prayer come in the form of Netflix, social media, and overall busyness. Yet we should never allow these distractions to discourage us from praying. Simply listen to the words of the great reformer Martin Luther who said:
"I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer."
This should be our attitude concerning prayer. We must make a conscious effort to prioritize prayer in our lives. But if prayer is more than an endless list of requests, what exactly is it?
In its simplest form, prayer is this: Communion with God. It is the exchange of hearts (thoughts and desires) that bring each of the two parties closer to one another until they become one in intimate fellowship.
Beginning in Exodus 25, God instructs Moses to build Him a Tabernacle. The description of it, materials required, and actual construction of it constitute the rest of the book. The Tabernacle was clearly important to God. The purpose of its construction is stated in verse 8 of the same chapter. "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them". God's desire was to live among His people.
Though the Tabernacle was one structure. It was actually composed of three parts: the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Though God referred to the Tabernacle as His dwelling place, He specifically told Moses that it was in the Most Holy place "above the mercy seat" that He [God] would commune with him [Moses]-Exodus 25:22.
Now the word commune (per our English dictionary) means to "Converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc. The interchange of thoughts or feelings".
True prayer is an interchange of desires that results in a wonderful union. It is the place where two become one.
This is exactly what Jesus spoke to His disciples about in John 17:23 when He stated, "I in them, and thou [the Father] in Me". Therefore the "goal" (for lack of a better word) of prayer is not to make our requests known (though this is important...see Phil 4:6), but rather perfect union with Jesus Christ.
It still amazes me how often God will use the ordinary places, ideas, and things of this life to teach us spiritual lessons (Rom 1:19-20). Take marriage, for example. The Biblical purpose of it is to take two individuals and mold them into one flesh (Matthew 19:5-6). Therefore God uses the marriage relationship between a man and a woman to teach us the principle of oneness with Him. Unity is what God desires with each one of us. That two might become one spirit. "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:17).
Prayer is a place of intimacy. I mentioned earlier that the Tabernacle has 3 major sections to it-the Outer Court, Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. These three sections were different in both purpose, allowed audience, and lastly their size. Looking at any image of the Tabernacle, you will notice how different these places were in size. The outer court was the biggest. It was spacious enough to hold a large crowd, possibly hundreds of Israelites. The Holy Place was significantly smaller yet able to hold several priests and levites at once. Finally the Most Holy Place was the smallest of the three. It was a small, square room that would only fit the high priest once a year. It is this exact place where God desires to meet with us (Hebrews 10:19-20). It is in this intimate setting that the Lord will really begin to reveal Himself to us and a true friendship with God commences (Psalm 103:7, Exodus 33:11).
One of the great results of intimate prayer is total transformation. The work of God in our lives is mainly internal. He seeks to transform our heart, mind, and emotions according to His. Yet we would be negligent in dismissing the outward effects of this inward change. A life that is truly touched by God will begin to reflect it outwardly. Remember what was said of the disciples in Acts 4:13? "And they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus". The same thing happened to Moses. After spending 40 days and nights in God's presence, "the skin on his face shone" (Exodus 34:30). A true prayer life should bring change, that within time, others will notice. The Scriptures corroborate this principle in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord".
So we see from Scripture that the end of prayer is not prayer. It is Jesus. It is intimacy, communion, and above all...two becoming one.
Reader, I want you to know that God desires to be one with you. He longs for your company. He craves to spend quality time with you. Before His sufferings on the cross, Jesus told His disciples, "With *desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15). He is telling us the same thing today. He has not changed (Hebrews 13:8). Will you respond to His eternal calling? Will you spend time with Him today?
*That word desire in the Greek is also translated passionate longing and can be interpreted to mean passion built on strong feelings.
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