![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.returningking.com\/images\/horsesunsm.gif\")
We\u2019ve all had that friend who is never heard of lest there be a need we may somehow support.\u00a0 As surely as the phone rings and the caller ID has identified the suspect, we know in fact that they need something; otherwise they would not be calling.\u00a0 Perhaps nothing is more offensive to a relationship than being only used as a \u2018resource\u2019 by those we consider friends.<\/p>\n
It makes one ponder how often God may have made this judgment concerning our conversation to him.\u00a0 Of course, prayer is and should be the means by which we make our requests known to God.\u00a0 Jesus said as much in his \u2018model prayer\u2019 in the Sermon on the Mount, noting that we should ask God to \u201cgive us this day our daily bread.\u201d\u00a0 But before the call for help and the plea for forgiveness, that same model prayer also postures us properly that our entire prayer life not be like the friend who only calls when they need something.<\/p>\n
Jesus said, \u201c9 <\/sup>\u00a0Pray then like this: \u2018Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 <\/sup>\u00a0Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.\u2019\u201d (Matthew 6:9-10 (ESV))<\/strong><\/p>\n Before anything else is the recognition of whom exactly we are addressing.\u00a0 We are seeking the author of life to whom all belongs; he who is \u201challowed\u201d by his very name.\u00a0 \u201cHallowed\u201d comes from the Gk. hagiazo<\/em>, \u201choly\u201d or \u201cvenerated.\u201d\u00a0 When we call on his Name, we call not on the \u2018man upstairs\u2019 but the judge of our every act and thought who by grace alone in his provision of Christ alone has received us to his ear as his beloved children instead of his enemy.\u00a0 When we call on HIS name, it\u2019s something far different from \u201chey, Steve \u2013 pass the salt\u201d and much more akin to what our attitude should be when speaking in front of a judge \u2013 guilty as charged \u2013 yet finding the leniency of the court.<\/p>\n The second phrase of Jesus\u2019 model prayer further establishes our posture before this great God.\u00a0 \u201cYour kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.\u201d\u00a0 Truly knowing that it is the author of life with whom one speaks, how can the first thing out of one\u2019s mouth be essentially, \u201cstop everything you\u2019re working on and give me a hand here, would ya?\u201d<\/p>\n It is at this point that the profound nature of prayer is revealed in Jesus\u2019 words.\u00a0 While prayer is commonly valued as the means by which we ask God for what we want, it should rather be understood as the means by which we ask God to reveal what He wants.<\/em>\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say that our desires are not to be voiced, but they are to be voiced from within the context of the subject speaking to the King, whose concern for His Kingdom will always \u2013 rightly \u2013 overshadow any and all further noise.<\/p>\n There are far too many supposed \u201cprayer books\u201d on our Christian bookstore shelves enticing people to attempt to manipulate the only one in the room who knows better.\u00a0 Our King does not answer prayer because one has learned the proper phrasing with which to send it.\u00a0 He answers prayer out of his regard for his own sovereignty over his creation and the implementation of his will.\u00a0 Thus, John says, \u201c14 <\/sup>\u00a0And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.\u201d (1 John 5:14 (ESV))<\/strong><\/p>\n Our posture before God as his servants<\/em> is paramount for us to be in the right mind to pray wisely and God (by his own Word) to be pleased in hearing it.<\/p>\n I shudder at the thought that if God were like one of us, He might rather roll his eyes upon seeing my name on his caller ID.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve all had that friend who is never heard of lest there be a need we may somehow support.\u00a0 As surely as the phone rings and the caller ID has identified the suspect, we know in fact that they need something; otherwise they would not be calling.\u00a0 Perhaps nothing is more offensive to a relationship […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"series":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1380,"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions\/1380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1379"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/returningking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fseries&post=1379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}