by Darren Hewer
Also available as a podcast at: http://thelife.com/blogs/experience/kindle/2008/03/27/prayer-to-the-one-who-is-here-2/
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The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Every week I meet with a small group of friends from my church. We study a passage or chapter of the Bible, play games, cook food, or just hang out. But we always pray together, and this is a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement for which I am truly greatful.
But I have to admit praying sometimes makes me uncomfortable. I’ve never been totally comfortable praying. Recently as I sat praying with my small group, my mind started to wander, and I started to think about what prayer means. I know it means "talking to God" but I was hoping for some deeper understanding.
Suddenly a verse suddenly popped into my mind: "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)
I had an out-of-the-blue understanding of a simple yet profound truth: When we pray, we must pray as though God is right here with us … because God IS right here with us!
We need to speak to God as though Jesus were standing in front of us, hanging on every word … because HE IS!
When we pray our words are not dispersing into the air; they are being heard by God, whose Spirit lives within us (1 Corinthians 3:16) and who hears us because He is with us, not as a vague spirit but as a living person.
Jesus promises that when you pray he is right here with you. Not only that, He promised that He is "with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) When we pray, let’s speak to the One who "will never leave you nor forsake you", as though He is right there with you … because HE IS!
Question: Are your prayers sometimes abstract and generic? How could keeping in mind God’s presence with you help keep them personal and specific?
About the Author: http://thelife.com/experience/devotionalformen/authors/darren-hewer/
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March 27th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Praying is constant, in that I do that to make sure. By that I mean, even though I’m not sure He’s hearing or listening and so on, I try my best. Last night was another no sleep one, and in that state, awful thoughts came into my damaged brain upsetting me a lot. To get personal- it’s lust and with a damaged genetal (it makes a 90 degree when hard!!!), getting personal with my wife now is gone. When I finally realized what was going on, I shut out those lustful thoughts and it shrank, yet I felt as if God has just turned His back on me since I’ve prayed and prayed for Him to get rid of them. Am I off the track here? Ifeel so left out right now.