Prayer time with God

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SOLITUDE WITH GOD

 

 

In these days He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night He continued in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)

Seeking quietly

Our Father

Loving God

In communication

Time alone talks

Unforgettable

Dialogue shared

Eternal longing.

SOLITUDE WITH GOD

Time alone with God. It is the most important part of our day. Peace is not what we seeon the news, in the movies, on television, on the streets. It is only grasped when we commune with God in solitude. Strength to continue and endure through trials and heartaches is only found with Him by our side in time alone talks.

Jesus went to His Father on many occasions alone.

–And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone . . . (Matthew 14:23

–And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. (Mark 1:35)

—15 But now even more the report about Him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray. (Luke 5:15-16)

–And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. (Mark 6:46)

—12 In these days He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night He continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples and chose from them twelve, whom He named apostles . . . (Luke 6:12-13)

 His alone time with God was a deliberate choice, a definite need, and an act of obedience.  Jesus is our example.

 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:5-7)

As Jesus needed time away from others’ needs and wants to commune with God, we, also, require this important prayer time with our Father. The cares, stresses, and needs of this world are like “great crowds” that gather around us, disrupting our calm and peace, depleting our energy and stamina, and affecting our emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Time alone talks with God should be our deliberate choice, definite need, and act of obedience.

When Jesus spoke to God, it was not in “empty phrases.” He went to the Father to receive help and strength from Him to complete what He was sent to do and be able to say, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Yet, Jesus had prayed for some other way. “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) His time alone talks with God were personal, intimate, emotional, honest, loving, and obedient.

Jesus is our example in prayer to God. He went to Him often in solitude for precious time alone with His Father. We, too, need this time alone in communication with God.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from Him. (Psalm 62:5)

 

(Sharon G. Tate blog 03/03/19)  teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word

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Prayer Voices to God

Voices… praise, penitent, present, patient.

Voices…cries, complaints, compromise, consent.

Voices…soft, sincere, solemn, submissive.

Voices…articulate, academic, artificial, announcer.

 Voices…inaudible, innermost, introspective, intentional.

 Voices…rote, rigid, repetitious, recitation.

Voices…joyful, jubilant, joyous, joy.

Voices…thanksgiving, transparency, trust, truth.

Voices…unspoken, underneath, unconscious, unresolved.

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What prayer voices do we offer to God? Our tone, attitude, purpose, approach, language in prayer all indicate something about our relationship with God. We know that He can listen even when we don’t physically utter words, because He is omniscient and all-knowing. I AM—in present tense—is always present when we use our public voices, our inner voices, and even our unconscious voices for prayer. Yet, as David’s prayers indicate, God will not listen and hear if sin is “cherished” in our hearts.

 Psalm66:17-20                                                                                                                                                              17 I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

 Psalm 116:  1 I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

What voice should we present before God–that He will listen to and hear the prayers we bring to Him? What heart must we have that He will listen to what has been uttered and hear what is really being said?

Like any father, God desires communication with His children. We owe Him a respectful voice; we owe Him our utmost presence; we owe Him our praise, our submission, our gratitude; we owe Him joy for all He has done for us. We owe Him a voice and a heart that demonstrates our love for Him, our Father.

Hallowed is His Name and hallowed is our time with Him. Our prayer voices must be appropriate for this special time spent with our God.

(Sharon G. Tate blog -8/12/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word