Do you have trouble finding a good quiet time each day to talk with God? I mean really talking with God. Being busy with every day things, sometimes too busy every day, is often the culprit demon that steals away that quiet time we need.
When we talk with God, is our prayer expressed sincerely from a true heart fully trusting God each time, or do our prayers sometimes seem full of vain or empty words? I think we all know the truth and can judge for yourself about how sincere our prayers are with God.
I struggled for years with finding a quality prayer time and still find distractions from time to time where I have sincere prayer with God. I think most of us learned from someone else, like a parent, a relative or a Sunday School teacher how to pray when we were young. As we grow older, our prayer life changes with our maturity in Christ.
Often times when we hear someone pray in public at a dinner, or at a prayer meeting, we often feel somewhat intimidated by someone else’s prayer style and “how we think we should pray.” For example, when you listen to a completely different pattern of prayer by someone new, sometimes it’s so different from your own, yet their prayer sounds so much better or closer to God than how you might have prayed. You might think, “I’ll try praying the same way to see how it feels or just because it sounded better than how I might have prayed.” It’s like there is a protocol for praying in public/church with strangers and then a whole different set of protocol of when you are alone and pray.
Does it really matter to God what our choice of words may be? Does God really care about how perfect our prayer may sound?
Here is what Jesus thought: “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.’ And he said to them,
‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” Luke 11:1-5 ESV
I have found that over the years of getting to know God more and more, my manner of prayer has changed more and more. Realizing that God is my Heavenly Father, the Son is my Savior, Lord, Master and friend and the Holy Spirit is my intimate counselor and Life long God Guide, my prayer is somewhat different depending on if I’m talking with Father God, Jesus my Lord or Holy Spirit who is always in me. One thing I know for sure, if I’m going to pray/talk with my Lord, it’s going to be in the privacy of somewhere I am ALONE. I don’t want or need anyone else to be a part of my intimate conversation with Jesus Lord, my Heavenly Father or Holy Spirit, so time of day and place are essential for me to find that “quiet place” or closet in which to pray.
I find that time of day is the best fix for me. Very early in the morning, like 4’ish AM. Yes, 4’ish AM is usually very quiet, no distractions and my mind has had a chance to clear from the day before and is usually void of any extra thoughts. That’s my quiet place. I usually go to a comfortable chair, the same chair each time, where I feel most relaxed.
Jesus also said, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matt 6:5
Do I approach Father God the same as I would approach Jesus or the Holy Spirit? I should know that nothing is new to the Lord about me, so why pretend to be or act any way other than myself? Do I reverence the Lord? Absolutely. My Creator God did create the Universe and all that is in it. I certainly know where my place is in His presence. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I don’t know how the Father sees me as a new creation in Christ, but I do believe I look completely different to the Father than I appear to myself or to you or anyone else. Anyway,
I know what God’s Word says about His feeling toward me. Psalm 139 is a good reminder of how much God cares about and loves me.
“Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.”(James 4:8) This is one of my favorite scriptures. And when the devil is getting to me, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, (the world) because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
A quiet place is essential to talk with God. If not a room in your home early in the morning, a secret place in the woods, near a creek or river that is private, maybe floating down the Upper Kenai, where ever your secret haven might be, find the time.
Better yet, make the time to find a quiet place where you can meet your creator God and He meets you. You want to hear His voice? You will, if you go there to your secret place, quiet place with a pure heart fully seeking Him.
If your not sure of a place that will work for your secret closet to meet the Lord, ask Him where and when you can meet Him. Expect God to answer you and He will.
The days we are in are not like they were twenty years ago or fifteen years ago. The days are evil my friends. Read the papers or watch the news. There’s no doubt in my mind that something is going on, you can just sense it.
I think we are close to the end of the end. It will be essential that we have a daily time with our Lord if we are going to be ready for the coming days. No more playing around with our shallow relationship with God. He won’t have it.
No more frilly prayers to impress those around us in prayer meetings or public prayer opportunities. Theological philosophies are dead. No more repeated parot prayers that don’t mean a thing or hold water with God. The nitty gritty prayers where the rubber meets the road are the only prayers that will help us now. The private prayer alone with God is the fervant prayer that avails much to God. The prayer of truth between your God and you, who really knows your heart and everything about you, are the prayers we need to pray. God knows our hearts. He’s waiting in the quiet place for us to come and worship His presence.
The days we are in are short. Jesus is on His way. Get right with your Lord now before it’s too late. Find that closet. There you will find your God. “When these things begin to happen all at once, look up, for your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28
Mark Conway is a Christian evangelist living with his wife Maryna in Sterling.
You may contact him by emailing akmark50@hotmail.com.
