“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”— Romans 12:12, NIV
Faithful in prayer. The key to a deep relationship with God.
Prayer is, first, part of worship. People often ask me, how do I worship the Lord when I’m by myself trying to seek Him? We associate worship with singing in a congregation. But worship begins by simply becoming aware that you are in the presence of God. Open your spiritual eyes, and realize that when you cry out to God, “Father!” or “Lord!” or “Help!” you immediately enter into His presence.
The first step of prayer is to realize you are not alone in this world. An amazing thing happened when Jesus came to earth in the form of man. The chasm between heaven and earth was bridged. When we pray, we cross that bridge.
A wonderful way to begin praying is to turn to the Psalms and as you read, take into your heart and mind the praise, the worship, and the acknowledgment of who God is.
In Psalm 19:1-2, David, the psalmist rejoiced over what he realized is the glory of God’s creation: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, night unto night reveals knowledge.”
Look at Psalm 25, another psalm of David. “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You.”
By the time you finish this psalm, allowing these words to reach into your soul, you will know you are in the presence of God. As you meditate daily on these Scriptures, prayer will pour out of you as naturally and quickly as breathing.
Then you can know what it means to “Pray without ceasing,” which leads us to rejoice and be thankful in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
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