Our Wednesday evening Small Group Bible Study has been going through a Pastor Louie Giglio series on “Prayer Remix”. Louie states that there are five common phrases of most standard prayers today: (1) Thank you for this day. (2) Bless us (or bless something). (3) Be with us. (4) Watch over and protect me. (5) Please forgive us for all our many sins. But, these petitions have already been accomplished by God for us and repetitive components of our prayers can lead to memorized reciting rather than thoughtful, meaningful and heartfelt conversation with our Heavenly Father. Our prayer should always include the genuine prayer desire of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
When someone asks the question: “How are you?” Our wholehearted answer should be: “I am blessed!” God has blessed us. In living a life of godliness, we must participate in the divine nature. We need to think about what we pray and say to God. We are in His presence, having a conversation with God. For most people the word “amen” today equates to “The End, I’m done, so good bye. I got to go, but I’ll be back later.” But, our prayers have not much time for God to talk or for us to listen
In our prayer life, we need to know who we are, whose we are, and what we have in Christ. We also need to say to God that, “We’re not doing whatever God is not doing, and we’re not going anywhere that God is not going because God’s purposes are our purposes and we must align our will with God’s will in everything. Pastor Louie points out that in our prayers, we spend way too much time telling God the circumstances than looking up to God, who already knows the circumstances, the details and what we need. Jesus gave us the model in the Lord’s Prayer – “Our Father in Heaven, Blessed, Holy and Praised be your name. God is not only our Almighty and Sovereign Creator, but also our loving heavenly Father. I know the by God’s providence, He provides and forgives, leads us not into temptation and delivers us from evil. In our prayers, the main focus needs to be: Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done.
Scripture affirms that God is with us. Examples: Exodus 3:12a says, So He said, “I will certainly be with you.”Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Isaiah 43:2“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
In the Word of God, our heavenly Father tells us: “I am your God and you are my people”, so God is with you. The question may be: “How is God going to be with us?” The answer is: By coming to live in you. God in the Spirit indwelling our heart. Jesus physically went to Heaven and is interceding for us at the right hand of the Father, but He sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, dwells within us and fills us by faith.Ephesians 3:16-17 tells us, “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love.” Colossians 1:27-28explains that, “to them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Christ is in you and with you all your life.
When you pray, do you feel like God is far away in Heaven or right there with you? Well, Christ is inside us. We may pray: “Be here with us.” But, He already is. But, why does
James 4:8asay, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” What James 4:8 means is “Be aware that God is with you.” It’s not about proximity? It is about “awareness”. So, have a flipper prayer life. Seriously, where can we go that God is not there? Answer: Nowhere. Awaken, open your eyes and lean in towards Christ. The Spirit of God in us is “all God”. Pray that we are aware that our life is a reservoir and container for indwelling Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christ is with us and Christ is in us, so pray: “God live through me. I shall follow and obey. Help me see.” This is what the world needs to see in us: Redeemed and being confirmed into the image of Jesus Christ. There is supernatural power of the Lord inside for those who know Jesus. Sadly, if you do not know Jesus personally as Savior & Lord, then you are on your own. Is Christ, by the power of the living God’s Spirit, living in you?
In Christ, Brian
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