Prayer Is A Two-Way Conversation

"Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind]."

1 Timothy 2.8 // AMP

Prayer is communion, relationship, intimacy...

The Bible paints an interesting picture in the Garden of Eden, where God Himself (Jesus) would walk in the garden. It was a place where Adam and Eve had complete access to and relationship with God, who spoke freely and directly with them. Imagine for a moment what that would be like - walking over to pick some strawberries, and lo and behold, there is the Lord! What an amazing picture, right?!

Thankfully, because of Jesus' eternal sacrifice, we have the privilege of having direct access with the Lord ourselves. Although we may not see Him, we can hear His voice and feel Him with our senses all of the time; we just ned to remain quiet enough to listen to His voice.

We can enjoy a vividly purposeful and fulfilling relationship with Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit inside the believer and follower of Jesus Christ makes it impossible to not have a deep and close relationship with the Triune God in Jesus. The way in which we commune with God is through prayer.

Prayer is a two-way conversation.

Oftentimes, we envision prayer as someone standing or kneeling down, eyes closed, saying what they'd like God to do for them, then ending their prayer with, "Amen," before continuing with their day. Unfortunately, this is what many of us are doing, but this is not communion. God had a different plan in mind for us.

The root word for communion is derived from

1. the Latin word communionem/communio, which means fellowship, mutual participation, and sharing, and

2. com (meaning with or together) and unus (meaning oneness or union)

The origin of the word paints a distinct picture of what prayer should look like: fellowship with God, mutual participation, oneness and union with God. I encourage you to do a little research of the Hebrew words that are used for communion in prayer in the Bible; what you find will show you that God speaks the truth in His Word - He wants oneness with us.

The Bible speaks of how God desires us to pray: "... lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind]..." (1 Timothy 2.8 ). You might be asking why we need to lift our hands. My simple answer is that it's because the Bible says so. God is holy. He is Holy. There is a certain way in which we need to approach God with reverence.

Another way that we are to approach God is to enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and into our courts with praise (Psalm 100.4). We cannot enter into prayer asking God for something that we don't believe that He will do, nor can we approach Him with a quarrelling spirit, nor can we approach Him with an attitude that does not reflect His character, nor can we approach Him anyhow. He is holy.

Communion with God comes with the territory of intimacy, deep fellowship, and commitment - much like a marriage.

Jesus is the Bridegroom of the Church - the beloved Bridegroom whose return we all eagerly await. Imagine if a bridegroom wanted to speak with his dearly beloved bride, but she didn't spare a moment for him to talk. Or imagine a bridegroom who was eagerly waiting for his bride to keep him company, but when she arrived, she had a sore look on her face and an attitude that screamed, "I don't want to be here, and I don't believe anything you are saying to me."

Communion with God is a deeply intimate act that we must never take for granted. It is a holy place that we are entering into. Jesus is very much our Friend, Teacher, and our Beloved. However, He is also our Master, Saviour, Lord, and God. He is to be revered - the Triune God most certainly is to be revered as holy.

Communion fails when we allow familiarity to rob us of the rich relationship with Jesus that comes from reverence and the understanding that we are speaking to God.

Prayer is such a big topic, but I've learned that the best way to live this Christian life is to keep it simple by following what the Word says to do. Here are a few things and ways that the Holy Spirit has been teaching me about prayer on my own personal journey with Him:

1. Matthew 6.6: "But when you pray, go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you."

2. 1 Timothy 2.8:"Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind]."

3. Romans 8.26:  ^"In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words."

4. Hebrews 11.6: "But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him."

5. Jeremiah 33.3: "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)."

Remember to make listening for and to the voice of God the main part of your prayer life. Jesus says that His sheep know His voice, that they listen to and follow Him. We get to know His voice by reading the Word of God - the Holy Scriptures.

Whatever you are praying for, remember that when you pray, the Good Shepherd is right there listening, and He longs to speak with His sheep.

Sincerely yours,

Pamela.

Jesus loves you, and He is coming back soon. Stay alert.