Prayer: Establishing Intimacy through Communication

Introduction:

Welcome my friend,

As you already know, being here every Friday to share these thoughts has become a major highlight of my week.

Firstly, because of the honour of having you make out the time to join the conversation and also as it fulfills the mission part of the brand which is to encourage community members to embrace our purpose with great responsibility.

It's for these reasons that we've had series of discussions on our relationship with God as the basis of living out the role we've been created for, as we allow him to direct us by listening, trusting and obeying him.

However, if we're being honest, it's impossible to do all three if we don't have an intimate relationship with him because we can neither listen to a voice we don't understand nor trust and obey someone blindly without knowing them enough.

This is why today's talk is focused on prayer, the term used to refer to talking to God; as we look into the significance of this communication just like in every other relationship.

Discussion:

I asked my ten (10) year old nephew if he prays before going to bed, his response "I don't know what to say"

So I asked him, "Who is God?" and he answered, "A supreme being that's greater than everyone else"

While his response is correct, there's a relationship between seeing God this way and not knowing what to say to him in prayer.

Like him, most of us have different ways we see God and while most of them are correct, some can become a hindrance to establishing the close and personal relationship he desires with us.

■ Knowing Who He Is

To some God is a judge with this long list of rules and regulations designed to keep us away from our pleasurable desires. These folks don't want to communicate with him for fear and guilt of his judgement.

To others he's this spirit that's somewhere in the universe; so they barely talk to him since they don't know who he is, where he is or his true intentions.

Then to many others like my nephew he's a supreme being and great. Here, we think that he has more glamorous things to bother about than our mere affairs.

Yet in all of this, what God simply wants to be to us is a heavenly father.

■ Accepting him for Who He Is

The moment we begin to see God as our heavenly father there's a shift in our understanding of him which immediately translates to the way we relate to him.

This is because we're able to see him in the same light as we would a good earthly father: protecting, providing, loving, kind, accepting, disciplined and desiring to be present in our lives.

For instance, if we go to bed and wake up, is it not only right to say "Good morning and thank you" to our father who owns the space or if we're confused about a decision, would we not want to know what our father thinks is right?

■ The Significance of Prayer in this Relationship

If prayer is the means of talking to our father, then it's the only way we can build an intimate relationship of love, understanding and trust with him.

Many times when we're asking him for something and he doesn't provide, we become upset that he's not as attentive and caring enough.

Yet all those times it's because he wants to protect us from the harm having such would bring or simply because he wants us to wait for when it's most useful to us.

For instance, if a child asks his father to get him a play station five (PS5) just before his exams, he may get a "No" not because his father doesn't want to give it but because is not the right time.

If there's no existing relationship, this child may think "he just could have given it" and then begins to resent his father.

It's the same when we don't pray.

Where there's prayer, the existing relationship of love and trust means that we can remain calm despite not having our requests met because we know that the intention of every of his response is for our best interest.

■ Reasons Why He May Not Answer Our Prayers

There are times God doesn't answer our prayers and it's usually for the following reasons;

▪︎ Motivation For The Prayer

If the reason we're asking for something is to show off or intimidate others then we may see our prayers return unanswered.

When we're blessed, it's because God expects us to extend same hand of provision to those around us.

▪︎ If the Request is Disaligned with His Will

God has a perfect plan and purpose for our lives and on the path of that purpose he responds to us in the affirmative because we're in alignment with his will.

When we ask outside of it, he makes us understand why he didn't answer and redirects us to what's best for us.

Here, it's also important to note that our prayers don't move God but rather prepares us for what he already wants to do for us.

We can see such examples when we a take a look at how our lives would have turned out differently for the worse if God answered some of the things we asked ignorantly and foolishly.

▪︎ If He's Still Preparing The Circumstances

Many times our prayers opens us up to other opportunities that transcends what we've asked.

For this reason, he first arranges all the associated circumstances in our favour before giving the greenlight.

▪︎ If We Haven't Developed The Capacity to Receive

Challenges and obstacles build the strength of our character as well as teach us to trust God absolutely for battles faced and victories won.

In them we develop the capacity to receive what we've prayed. This means that if we're the size of a cup asking God for a bag of grains, he'll first build us to become a sack.

God doesn't want us to be overwhelmed by his blessings so that they don't become the reason we move away from him.

This is why he first prepares us.

■ Benefits of This Relationship

Wouldn't it feel nice to be friends with "this supreme being that's greater than everyone else"

To enjoy an unlimited access to the one who not only wants the best for us but has all it takes to make it our reality if only we follow him.

As we go close to God, we learn that he doesn't judge or condemn us for our shortcomings but meets us exactly where we're at.

From this closeness we give him the room to continue to refine us through his love, care and sometimes the discipline of temptations and obstacles until we get to where he wants us.

In this relationship we find peace because we're able to live above our own limitations as we lean on him to meet all of our needs.

Most comfortingly, we have a friend who listens to us at all times, counsels us, and keeps all our secrets to him; a safe space.

Summary:

Like in all relationships, proper communication is required for better understanding and strengthening of the bond.

This is why God desires for us to pray without ceasing.

In constantly sharing beautiful moments with him in solitude, we begin to love him for the wonderful father he is, rather than merely seeing him from the lens of what he can do, give or take away from us.

What an awesome privilege it is that this great being just wants to be a good father to us: teaching, guiding and ordering our steps towards living the good life he already designed for us.

Master Apprentice

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