Prayer to the One Who is Here
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The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Every week I meet with a small group of friends from my church. We study a passage or chapter of the Bible, play games, cook food, or just hang out. But we always pray together, and this is a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement for which I am truly grateful.
But I have to admit praying sometimes makes me uncomfortable. I’ve never been totally comfortable praying. Recently as I sat praying with my small group, my mind started to wander, and I started to think about what prayer means. I know it means “talking to God” but I was hoping for some deeper understanding.
Suddenly a verse suddenly popped into my mind: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
I had an out-of-the-blue understanding of a simple yet profound truth: When we pray, we must pray as though God is right here with us … because God IS right here with us!
We need to speak to God as though Jesus were standing in front of us, hanging on every word … because HE IS!
When we pray our words are not dispersing into the air; they are being heard by God, whose Spirit lives within us (1 Corinthians 3:16) and who hears us because He is with us, not as a vague spirit but as a living person.
Jesus promises that when you pray he is right here with you. Not only that, He promised that He is “with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) When we pray, let’s speak to the One who “will never leave you nor forsake you”, as though He is right there with you … because HE IS!
Question: Are your prayers sometimes abstract and generic? How could keeping in mind God’s presence with you help keep them personal and specific?
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26
Hi, I am so blessed to be a mentor for this web-site!
Yes, prayer is to “the One who is here.” I also agree with John, we can be (and most often are) Spirit-led as we pray. Two thoughts come to mind: 1. We may become distracted at times because the devil is trying to interfere; then we must tell him to get lost, and thank God that Jesus is here with us.
Secondly, I have a short story to tell: Looking through a Children’s Bible, in Luke 24, I came across the picture of Jesus (after explaining the Scripture to them as they walked) revealing His identity to the Emmaus disciples as He broke the bread. The disciples faces are bright from the light that is emanating from the face of their Lord, while Jesus’ head is pictured from the back and side. That whole scene was 3-dimensional, bright, and alive! And at the same time I felt the holy presence of my Lord Jesus standing by my right side! It was a “holy moment” for me, as with tears in my eyes, I said: “Yes Lord Jesus, I’m also one of Your disciples.” Several weeks latter I again dared to find that picture; and it was just a good picture, — but without the dynamic I had felt when Jesus met me there!