Praying in Truth
Psalm 145:18 (ESV) 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
As we begin to wrap up our "40 Days of Prayer," I trust God has been faithful to all who have sought Him, to all who have sought Him in truth. We must be continually reminded that our God is able! He is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to that power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). His arm is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear (Isaiah 59:1). What profound truths and promises!If there is one thing that I hope sticks deep within our souls as we have spent time focusing on prayer, it is that we must pray in truth, for God promises to be near to those who so call upon Him in this manner. So at this point we must ask, "What does it meant to pray in truth?"
There are three things for us to know on this matter.
First, Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." The only reason and way we can come before God is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way! Not on our own ability, not in our own righteousness, but in His ability and His righteousness. We are not praying in truth if Jesus is not Lord and Savior of our lives.
Second, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. He said, "9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
The truth is God is our Father if we are heirs with the Son.
The truth is God's name is to be hallowed and no other.
The truth is God's will is to be done and we must be in line with His will instead of trying to align Him to our will.
The truth is all we have is from God. From our daily bread to our very breath, Acts 17:24-25 says, "24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything."
The truth is God alone can forgive and God alone can keep us from temptations and deliver us from evil. When we pray in truth we are praying in acknowledgment of all the glory of God! We are not praying in truth if we are praying in direct contradiction to God's word.
Third, Matthew 15:8 says, 8 “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me..."
To pray in truth is to pray with a heart that is in line with God's desires, not just words that are empty.
For instance when we pray that God's kingdom come and His will be done, is this truly our desire or are these mere empty words, lies? When we pray for God's deliverance, do we really just want God to fix a problem and not change us? When we pray for God to be glorified, are we truly desiring to reflect His glory in our own lives? We do not pray in truth if we are not honest with ourselves and God.
God knows our heart before our mouths ever open. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully....Oh that the gates would be lifted up that the King of Glory may come in (Psalm 24).
Spend time this day reflecting on all that God has taught you in truth about prayer. If it is your heart's desire, call upon Him, not with empty words, but in truth! If you cannot pray in truth, then honestly wrestle with God and express your fears and concerns to Him, for He already knows, as did Jacob until God blessed Him and changed him forever (Genesis 32:24-30).
In Christ, Bryan
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