Robert Griffith | 8 July 2022
Robert Griffith
8 July 2022

 

All sincere Christians desire a dynamic and fruitful prayer life. Yet so many find themselves defeated when it comes to their communication with God. If the average follower of Christ was asked how much time he or she spends in prayer, they would most probably be too embarrassed to answer the question honestly. That’s not a criticism. Just a statement of fact. Yet prayer holds the key to developing intimacy with God and consistency in our walk with Him.

We want so desperately to be victorious in our praying but what is victorious Christian praying? In order to be victorious in our praying, we must understand the essentials of what prayer is and what it’s not. Prayer is not a religious obligation. It is not a formal ritual. It is not seeking God as though He’s some kind of celestial Santa Claus. In its purest form, prayer is simply intimate communication with God. It is how people who know God get to know God better. It’s a loving and listening relationship with the God Who created us and saved us.

This understanding of prayer will change a person’s perspective on prayer and enable him / her to enter into victorious Christian praying. Without it, prayer becomes a useless drudgery and tiresome duty rather than a powerful adventure and victory. The latter is what God desires for each of us. We could meet the Prime Minister, have lunch with the Queen, be in partnership with the richest people in the world and yet none of those experiences would compare to the utter thrill and excitement of coming into the presence of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe; the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

There’s no greater joy than having intimate, meaningful conversations with the One Who is above all, sees all and knows all. Think of it – the God Who hung the earth in space; the God Who put the stars in the sky – this same God desires to commune with us – heart to heart. Wow! Nothing can match that.

Prayer is the communion of two hearts. Thus, there lies a great difference between praying and Christian praying. Most praying today consists of religious duty rather than genuine Christian praying. Muslims pray. Jews pray. Hindus pray. Church members pray. So, what’s the difference in Christian praying and religious praying? Religious praying is man’s attempt to reach up to God. However, genuine Christian praying is God making a way for us to enter into His presence and have fellowship with Him. There is a huge difference. One is religion and one is a relationship.

God is absolutely holy. It would be impossible for anyone or anything unholy to come into the presence of a completely holy God. That’s the whole reason that Jesus died on the cross over 2,000 years ago. When Jesus died on the cross, the Bible says, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The curtain separated all normal people from the holy of holies in the temple and it symbolised our separation from God from our perspective. Only the high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies because that was the place of the manifest presence of God. A sinful man or woman could not enter into the presence of a Holy God. But when Jesus died, He made available to us the forgiveness for our sin and provided cleansing for all who believed in Him. When the temple veil tore in such a spectacular fashion, it symbolised the complete removal of the barrier between us and our God – once and for all time!

Therefore, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we have access into the presence of Almighty God. Think about that … you and I, by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, now have access into the presence of the Creator of the universe. All of this comes to us by God’s grace as a free gift. God takes the initiative in genuine Christian prayer.

We come to God – not by our own religious works of righteousness – but by His grace and upon His invitation. That changes the whole concept of prayer. It’s no longer duty – but delight. It’s not religion – but relationship. It’s not defeat – it’s victory!  Praise God!

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