A unique way to communicate with God’s Spirit is through prayer. Prayer is spiritual communion with God. I like the word “communion” which comes from the Greek word koinonia - “fellowship” or “sharing”. Prayer is communion, fellowship, and share with God. How does prayer become communion with God?
First, Not Ritual Prayer
Not a canned ceremony to gain God’s favor.
A paid Nigerian newspaper ad appeared about prayer:
"Toothbrushing is highly recommended. Any prayer said after toothbrushing is 77 times greater in reward than the same act with an unbrushed mouth."
Prayer is not “magic” that when you do something or use a word it will bear fruit. Prayer does not have power by itself. The only reason prayer is powerful is because there is an almighty God who hears our prayers.
Second, it is not just a common request to pray.
Prayer, more than anything else, is the establishment of our personal relationship with God.
Third, encounter with God.
Our relationship with God cannot grow if we do not have regular communion with God. Prayer is being alone with God.
Fourth. abiding in the presence of God.
If in our prayer we do not feel the presence of God, there is no element of communion, the true essence of prayer.
Once, while D.L. Moody was reading in his room, his five-year-old son came in and sat down next to him.
"What do you want, son?" Moody asked. "Nothing, Dad," his kid said. "All I want to do is be right there with you." This is the true goal of prayer: to enter God's presence. We want to be with God.
Jesus said, "When you pray, go into your room and close the door." Not just literally entering the room of your house and closing the door. This means the following:
- Sufficient time should be devoted to prayer. Effective prayer is seldom accomplished in a hurry. It requires and demands quality time. You can't be in a hurry or say, "Lord, what I prayed for yesterday is the same today."
Nor should we just pray and say, "Good night, Lord, when we are so drowsy." God deserves the best of our time. Jesus, although He is God, always prays.
David a king always wept to the Lord in prayer. Paul, because he thought he was the least of the apostles, always prayed. Hannah had no children, but because of intense prayer, God gave the child to become a great prophet, Samuel.
The giants of the faith are people of prayer. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement in England, said that when he was there he occupied increasingly spending long hours in prayer.
- Concentration must be complete. The door must be closed so that no other thoughts or influences can enter while praying. We have to be deeply concentrated while in prayer.
If you are talking to the President of the Philippines, you cannot help but give him full attention. In prayer, we speak to the King of kings, to the Lord of lords. We just have to give Him our undivided attention.
- We must listen carefully to what God has to say. What matters in prayer is not what we say to God, but what God tells us; not hearing of man, but hearing of God; not what man likes, but if God likes our prayer.
Fenelon said, "How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak." William Runyan said, "Lord, I have shut the door; here do I bow; speak for my soul attendant now."
- Prayer is rest to the weary soul. Our tired body can find rest by resting or helping. But our weary souls can only find rest by communing with God in prayer. It is only God who can restore our souls.
According to J. Oswald Sanders, "I've met men who came to God for no other reason than to be with Him because they adored Him. They scorned to soil Him and themselves with Him in His presence."
Fanny Crosby who is blind always sees the glory of God during prayer.
He said, "Oh, the pure delight of a single hour that before thy throne I spend, when I kneel in prayer, and with thee my God, I communicate as a friend to a friend." We can only stand on our own if we frequently kneel in prayer.
- We pray in a spirit of humility, surrender, and submission to God's will. Prayer is acknowledging the greatness of God and our smallness; admitting to ourselves that we can do nothing; expressing our complete trust in God; accepting our sins and weaknesses, and asking God for forgiveness.
In a kingdom in the Middle ages, as usual, the king visited the prison to free the prisoners. As the king walked down the prison hall, the prisoners shouted "Dear King, release us, we are innocent!"
The king noticed that one prisoner was crying and others were saying, "Dear King, I have really sinned. Please forgive me. Have mercy on me."
The king stopped and said to the prisoner, "Man, you are not worthy of this place. All here are innocent. But you are a sinner. So from now on, I do not want to see you in this prison."
Thank the Lord, because He has given us the right to commune with Him, fellowship with Him, and share in His glory through prayer.
Guide:
How do you do personal prayer? Lying, sitting, kneeling, standing?
Where do you feel the more intense communication with God?
Make your prayer intentional and always feel His presence. Remove anything that hinders sincere communion with God such as Cell phones, Television, Social Media, etc. during prayer.
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