“Get at it! Keep at it!”
These messages are mostly meaningless for you if you do not practice at praying. God wants you to know him better, so get at praying!
If you find yourself struggling this week, take heart. You might find a real sense of difficulty in praying, wondering why God seems so unreal to you. If you have become comfortable being empty in your inner life then you might not even recognize this emptiness until you begin to pray. Keep at praying!
In your praying, remind God and thank God that God desires for us a first-hand experience of God’s-self.
“Father-God, THANK you for wanting me to know you better.”
That our God wants to reveal to us this unspoken manifestation or display of who God is – of his splendor.
As you continue praying, boldly ask God-the-Father to have God-the-Holy-Spirit well up inside you giving you insight or the skill to understand and to uncover a first-hand experience of God.
“God my Father, I invite you to help me KNOW you in ever greater ways.”
Know that you can never have this in your own human wisdom and understanding BUT God can and God delights to give this intimate knowing to you.
Then, ask God-the-Father to “enlighten” or make evident to the core of who you are these three realities about your shared life with God.
“Holy-Spirit, make evident my SHARED life with you”:
First, praying to understand “the hope to which God-the-Father has called you. Specifically, that because of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus as well as his return to Heaven, believers (you and me!) are assured that one day Jesus will return, allowing us to live face to face with God. Here God speak to you in Revelation 21:4, “’He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”
“Lord, nurture in me the HOPE of my faith looking forward”
standing on tiptoe, straining to catch a glimpse to God’s good future for us.
Second, praying that God will make evident …. the wealth of the glory of God’s inheritance in the holy people…. To really understand what is OURS as believers because God has claimed US as his inheritance or his prize.
“God, allow me to comprehend the RICHES of being YOUR possession.”
This is seen in Revelation 21:3, “’And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’” We are praying for God to make this good future take hold of how we live in our here-and-now lives.
Third, praying for God-the-Father to let you experience …. His incomparably great power for us who believe…. That we would experience God’s power to bring us from life that leads to death into the abundant and eternal life-of-God. That power is the same as the mighty strength God-the-Father exerted when he raised Christ from the dead…. This is God’s life-giving power available to us, in our lives, through the work of God-the-Holy-Spirit. We know this is the good future, even when we do not see it in Revelation 21:5, “’He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”
“Father-God, I want to experience your POWER available to me.”
Power to face any struggle with confidence, power to face time of joy and abundance with gratitude, power to overcome sin and become more like Jesus, power to bring us safely into God’s eternal New Heaven and New Earth.
“Get at praying! Keep at praying!”
I suggest you write of these verses and the above suggestions in your own words. Then use this as part of your praying for the week.
I would be honored to know how your praying is going. Please reach out to me via my e-mail. I mean it! Look forward to hearing from you. Pastor.Mike@FUMCtavares.com
Your friend in praying,
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