Prayer is a Relationship

‘Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God’ (Luke 6:12). What would it be like to spend a night in the presence of God? What would I do? What could I say? After an hour, or even after a few minutes, would I be stuck for words? Would my thoughts be drifting off into other things? Or would I simply enjoy being with Him, silent, soaking up the experience?

One of the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). He said to them, "When you pray say, ‘Father, hallowed be your name.’” This is how we should start, with a declaration of the intimate relationship we have with God as “Father.” What closer relationship can there be? And His name is to be to be honoured, glorified, and worshipped.

Praying to our Father in Heaven is a great privilege. It’s not a hurried, bedtime prayer, or even a desperate, longing prayer, but a recognition and acceptance of who He is. We have nothing to offer Him except our lives, and this is what Jesus came to give us, ‘in all its fullness’ (John 10:10.) Are we grateful? Are we aware of the true significance of the cross? Do we realise how much it cost? The creator and sustainer of the universe came to rescue us from eternal darkness, because He loves us. Let’s not receive this lightly.

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth.” Jesus said. “Not my will, but Yours.” Dare we say anything different? Jesus walked in the eternal love of the Father and He longs for us to do the same. Our focus is on Him, as we absorb His presence, and wonder at His love.

We are invited to approach His throne of grace with boldness (Hebrews 4:16), and as we come into His presence under the covering of His love, we acknowledge this is a privilege and not a right.

‘Let us walk in the light of the Lord’ (Isaiah 2:5), which is the only way we can enjoy true fellowship with Him. If we walk in darkness, we lose sight of His presence. ‘But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7).

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name” (John 16:24). That is coming to God in the full authority of Jesus. “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24).

As we learn to live in the joy of the Lord and see life from His perspective, we begin to experience His guiding hand leading us forward. We can walk with Him, talk with Him, and entrust our life to Him, as He reveals Jesus to us. This is true prayer—opening our hearts to God and living in His blessings and His love, in Jesus’ name.