What makes prayer such a crucial exercise for the Christian? Is it the impact we have on others when we get what we ask? Is it the ephemeral presence of God we feel as we pray? Is it the duty done to Christ and the work accomplished in pleasing Him? Is there something about prayer that gives it a special place in the Christian's daily doings?
Prayer is the hub of everything Christian. It is the center from which all things of God spring. Take the start of every action you do that is Christian. It begins with the movement of God toward you just as the body only acts with the spark of innervation coming from the nervous system. You cannot do a single thing of God without it being generated first in His own mind. Once this happens you enter into prayer even if it is subconsciously. Prayer is the interaction between God and us in whatever form it takes, whether it is us talking to Him or Him breaking through to us or our sometimes discouraging, sometimes awakening effort to listen for Him. That is what makes Bible reading such a profound experience. When we read the Bible, we enter into a form of prayer rarely deemed prayer but indeed the very essence of it. The more we interact with God as we read the Bible the deeper we enter into prayer. The Bible was never intended to be a history book or even a theological manual. It is first and foremost the entryway into God. Treat Bible reading as an exercise or task to get done and you lose the best part of it. Recognize it as it is, time spent living in Christ and you gain the mind of God dwelling in you.
When praying through the scripture, give yourself a shot at really drawing near God. Expect the Holy Spirit to make something of your time there with Him. Talk to Him as you go through it. Bring your requests to God as you go through the verses and make your time with Him in the scriptures a fellowship rather than a spiritual exercise. The Psalms obviously are meant to be spoken out to God but the rest of the Bible also is a dialogue between the two of you so make the most of it and gain from your prayer within the Bible all the strength and guidance and recovery from the wounds of your day intended when God first called you into the Scriptures at the beginning. Pray the Bible; don't just "read" it.
Prayer is the hub of everything Christian. It is the center from which all things of God spring. Take the start of every action you do that is Christian. It begins with the movement of God toward you just as the body only acts with the spark of innervation coming from the nervous system. You cannot do a single thing of God without it being generated first in His own mind. Once this happens you enter into prayer even if it is subconsciously. Prayer is the interaction between God and us in whatever form it takes, whether it is us talking to Him or Him breaking through to us or our sometimes discouraging, sometimes awakening effort to listen for Him. That is what makes Bible reading such a profound experience. When we read the Bible, we enter into a form of prayer rarely deemed prayer but indeed the very essence of it. The more we interact with God as we read the Bible the deeper we enter into prayer. The Bible was never intended to be a history book or even a theological manual. It is first and foremost the entryway into God. Treat Bible reading as an exercise or task to get done and you lose the best part of it. Recognize it as it is, time spent living in Christ and you gain the mind of God dwelling in you.When praying through the scripture, give yourself a shot at really drawing near God. Expect the Holy Spirit to make something of your time there with Him. Talk to Him as you go through it. Bring your requests to God as you go through the verses and make your time with Him in the scriptures a fellowship rather than a spiritual exercise. The Psalms obviously are meant to be spoken out to God but the rest of the Bible also is a dialogue between the two of you so make the most of it and gain from your prayer within the Bible all the strength and guidance and recovery from the wounds of your day intended when God first called you into the Scriptures at the beginning. Pray the Bible; don't just "read" it.
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