TheCross in Prayer
Do you often think of the cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it.
The cross represents only one thing for us – complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ – and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us, than in prayer.
Matthew 6:8, says, "Your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him"
Then why should we ask?
I think we missed the point of prayer, prayer is not to get answers from God, but for us to have perfect and complete oneness with Him.
If the only reason we pray is because we want answers, then it seems we become irritated and angry with God, when the answers we get are not the answers we expect.
We receive an answer every time we pray, but that answer does not always come in the way we expect, and then our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer.
Contrary to what some may think, our purpose is not to prove that God answers prayer, but we are to be living trophies of God's grace.
John 16:26 – 27, says," I do not say to you that I shall pray the father for you; for the father himself loves you" (His very presence before the Father guarantees that the sacrifice of the Cross was accepted; therefore, all who truly follow Christ are instantly accepted as well; if Jesus had to pray to the Father for us, that would mean the Cross was not a Finished Work).
Have you reached such a level of intimacy with God that the only thing that can account for your prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Jesus Christ?
Has our Lord exchanged your life, with his vital life?
If so, then "in that day"you will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.
When prayer seems to be unanswered, lets beware of trying to place the blame on someone else. That is always a trap of Satan. When you seem to have no answer, there is always a reason – God uses these times to give us our deep personal instruction, and it is for us not for anyone else but us.
Do you often think of the cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it.
The cross represents only one thing for us – complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ – and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us, than in prayer.
Matthew 6:8, says, "Your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him"
Then why should we ask?
I think we missed the point of prayer, prayer is not to get answers from God, but for us to have perfect and complete oneness with Him.
If the only reason we pray is because we want answers, then it seems we become irritated and angry with God, when the answers we get are not the answers we expect.
We receive an answer every time we pray, but that answer does not always come in the way we expect, and then our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer.
Contrary to what some may think, our purpose is not to prove that God answers prayer, but we are to be living trophies of God's grace.
John 16:26 – 27, says," I do not say to you that I shall pray the father for you; for the father himself loves you" (His very presence before the Father guarantees that the sacrifice of the Cross was accepted; therefore, all who truly follow Christ are instantly accepted as well; if Jesus had to pray to the Father for us, that would mean the Cross was not a Finished Work).
Have you reached such a level of intimacy with God that the only thing that can account for your prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Jesus Christ?
Has our Lord exchanged your life, with his vital life?
If so, then "in that day"you will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.
When prayer seems to be unanswered, lets beware of trying to place the blame on someone else. That is always a trap of Satan. When you seem to have no answer, there is always a reason – God uses these times to give us our deep personal instruction, and it is for us not for anyone else but us.