I
have been thinking on the importance of consistently spending time in
God’s presence through prayer and the study of His word. We have
probably all heard the familiar saying, ‘Absence makes the heart
grow fonder.’ While it is possible for absence to make the
heart grow fonder,’ it is more likely that as time passes, it will
make the heart to ‘wander’ (but for the grace of God). Even worse
than wandering, absence can make the heart grow hardened.
In
pursuing an earthly relationship, we get to know another better
through conversing together or writing back and forth. God reveals
all we need to know about Him through the Holy Scriptures. If we
would desire a right relationship with Him, we must do so through His
word and seeking Him in prayer. No relationship can be one sided.
Second
Chronicles 15:2 tells us that
“If you
seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will
forsake you.”
We
must understand that seeking God is active, while forsaking Him is
inactive. Neglecting to study God’s word and spend time in prayer
is all it takes to forsake God. Only those who truly love Him
will be
motivated
to pursue a right
relationship
with Him.
If we do not actively seek Him, then we
evidently do
not
truly love Him. Proverbs
8:17 reads, “I
love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”
A
good
example of one who started out living faithfully
is
found in the story of Joash, “And
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chronicles
24:2). Jehoiada was a man who feared God and helped steer the
king in following the LORD, “And
Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the
king that they should be the Lord's
people” (2
Chronicles 23:16).
However,
after Jehoiada’s death Joash allowed himself to be influenced by
ungodly companions,
“Now after
the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to
the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the
house of the Lord,
the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols”(2
Chronicles 24:17).
Hence
the importance of keeping company with those who would encourage us
in the ways of the Lord.
The
consequences of failure to seek God diligently are dire indeed, “And
wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs” (2
Chronicles 24: 18).
May
we not be guilty of refusing to pay heed to the warnings God sends
our way as Joash was after Jehoiada’s death,“Yet
he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord.
These testified against them, but they would not pay attention” (2
Chronicles 24:18-19).
Hebrews
3:15 tells us, “Today,
if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the
rebellion.”
If
we
neglect to spend time in God’s word, drawing
near to Him,
and
allow others to influence us
in
a
negative way, our
first love for
God will
grow cold. It
is imperative that we not
let anything or anyone stand in the way of our relationship with God,
which
should be first
and foremost
above
all others,
“You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy
6:5).
God
is faithful, He will do as he has promised. James
4:7-8
tells us to “Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” May
we be motivated to draw near to God daily, seeking Him in prayer and
through the study of His word.
Amen! This has been a humbling read. I must confess, am struggling in prayer life. I do read and study the word of God but when it comes to prayer I struggle a lot! It is not that I don't enjoy time with God in prayer, but rather I find it hard because I quickly run out of words although am fully aware God is not interested by how I articulate my prayers or how many words I say but a sincere hearty prayer. Do you have any advice on how I can have a rich prayer life everyday with our loving heavenly Father?
ReplyDeleteYour advice will be much appreciated.
I found a sermon by Steven Lawson entitled “A Desperate Prayer for Deeper Growth” helpful in responding to your question, Caleb. Dr. Lawson made the statement that there are two chief means of grace available to us and they are the Word of God and prayer. One without the other is ineffective. ‘Bible study without prayer leads to dead orthodoxy’ and ‘prayer without Bible study leads to mystical emotionalism’. However, ‘Bible study and prayer together leads to supernatural living in the Christian life’; that is, if one has the seal of the Holy Spirit upon his or her life.
DeleteDr. Lawson reaffirmed what I have come to better understand more recently, ‘If our Christian life is to be growing, maturing and bearing fruit, it will be contingent upon our intake of the Word of God in a way that is life changing, as well as the extent of our prayer life’. If God is very real to us, we will be able to go through any difficulty as long as we are strong in both prayer and the study of God’s word.
In verses 18-19 of Psalm 119 the Psalmist prays for illumination, “Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me”! The Psalmist prays that God would open his eyes so he can behold wonderful things from His word. He wants to understand the meaning of scripture and only God the Holy Spirit can give us a right understanding of God’s word. In John 16:13 we read, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth..”. As Dr. Lawson pointed out in his message, ‘We need to be God taught, not man taught.’ In lieu of this, it is imperative that we pray for a right understanding of God’s word, that we would be guided by His Spirit into all truth.
Verse 19 of this Psalm reads, “I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me”! We are just passing through here on this earth, it is not our home and we will not feel at home here if God is real to us.
May God be so real to us that we can say with the Psalmist, “My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times” (verse 20).
Verses 22-23 read as follows, “Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies. Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes”. The Psalmist evidently was going through very difficult times. To have a friend or family member slander one’s character would be bad enough, but the Psalmist had more than one person in high places plotting against him. It is in times of great difficulty that God does become very real to us. Even in those times however, we can rejoice in knowing God is sovereign and will strengthen us through His word.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reads, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We cannot be in a frame of mind that is always open to prayer and thanksgiving unless God has become very real to us. The more we know our need for God, the better we will pray. It is the reality of our need of God that brings us to our knees. May we seek Him earnestly and fervently. If we truly desire a rich prayer life, we must pray that God make Himself real to us, but we best be prepared for what may come of that prayer, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
The very best way to have a good prayer life is to “.. love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). The last line of this stanza reads, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors” (verse 24). May we delight in God’s word and seek His counsel. As we do so, may He make Himself very real to us through all the circumstances of our lives. I pray God will bless and draw you into a closer communion with our Heavenly Father. :)