Sunday, June 1, 2008

Prayer - it flows out of our relationship with the Lord

To many prayer and relationship with the Lord is a complicated thing. To some prayer is very difficult because they don't think they pray right or pray enough. However, Jesus portrays a different message about prayer. He demonstrated that prayer is about relationship with God, it is about being with Him and communicating with Him. When we are close with another person, we want to spend time with them and be with them – and we don't need to come up with a reason to do this, we just do it.


Here is a scripture about Moses that helps illustrate a key about relationship with the Lord.


Ps 103:7
He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.


Moses was the one God appointed to lead the children of Israel from Egypt, through the wilderness, and to the land of Canaan. Through this journey of 40 years Moses closely followed the Lord, while many of the children of Israel complained and dragged their feet. This verse gives us insight into the differences in the relationship God had with Moses, and what He had with the children of Israel.


The word "acts" means exploits, performances, and deeds.


This is much different than the word "ways" which means a course of life, or a road that is followed.


For the children of Israel this communicates that they saw the things God did, the miracles, the acts that He performed. This really doesn't demonstrate much relationship, it was mostly about what God did for them.


For Moses the key was relationship, he walked with God. He was the one that prayed, that sought the face of God, and the one who spoke face to face with Him in the tent of meeting (Ex 33:11). Here we see depth of relationship and friendship.

Let's follow the example of Moses and walk with the Lord, instead of just looking for the things that He can do.

God bless you all.