As we build a relationship with God through prayer, we gain God’s peace. While we commit ourselves to God, we know it is a two-way street. This daily devotional looks at the correct way to pray to God so that we grow in God’s peace.
Nuggets
- Prayer is the way we talk to God.
- God does answer our prayers.
- There are several important steps here to make sure that we are correctly praying.
Devotions in the Peace Leads to Tranquility series
What we’ve discussed time and time again through this series is the fact that peace comes from God. In order to gain that peace, we have to have a solid relationship with Him.
We grow our relationship with God by seeking Him. One of the ways we seek His in through prayer.
Let's Put It into Context
We’ve talked about peace several times. Peace is an inward tranquility or composure of the mind resulting from a balanced life with spiritual order, equity, and truth.
Glossary
Peace isn’t just the absence of conflict. It is a positive condition.
God wants disciples of Christ to experience peace in the midst of conflict. We can do that when we put our faith and trust in Him.
Prayer is a two-way communication with God. We not only talk to God, but we also listen to Him.
But how can prayer give us peace? Let’s dig in.
Committing Ourselves to God Through Prayer
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.” (Ps. 37: 5-6 CSB)
Prayer is the way we talk to God. Through our prayers, we commit to God how we live our lives. We submit to Him and listen to His instructions to us.
I think sometimes we trip over the God-wants-us-to-submit part. We forget about the free will part. Free will is the ability within us to make decisions, which determine actions that produce character.
It is our choice to give God control of our lives. It is our decision to commit to Him.
We are to delight in that decision. Charnock defined delight as “… an affection of the mind that springs from the possession of a good which hath been ardently desired.”
Resource
The basis of our relationship with God must be affection at a minimum. We know His affection toward us is love. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3: 16 ESV).
We use our minds to make the decision to commit to God. We have to work it out, so we are totally committed to Him. We can decide to commit to God because we see the benefits are to be greatly desired.
Look again how God’s response is one that will be greatly desired. “making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.” (Ps. 85: 6 CSB).
Righteousness is the result of a solid relationship with God built by a sincere life of conscientious obedience to God’s laws and commandments. That is where we are heading on the Sanctification Road.
Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul beginning with regeneration and ending with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness. Regeneration is the change in us that God brings about when we go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
I know. One churchy word leads to three others.
Glossary
Elaine-speak. When we ABCD, we start navigating the Sanctification Road. Our end goal is to be holy and righteous, as God is.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
We know that is going to be a process. Sometimes, we will be cruising right along. Other times, we are going to be on the frontage road. Other times, we are flat out taking the exit.
God is interested in our commitment. Yes, He wants the obedience, but He doesn’t want us to make that obedience a work. There is nothing we can do or not do to make us righteous.
We have to be committed to God to trust that He will make us righteous. That brings us peace.
When we pray to God about keeping us on the Sanctification Road, we are asking that we successfully make the end goal – Heaven. That alone should bring us peace as we contemplate the future rewards for being faithful and the rest from the struggles temptations create.
Prayer Is a Two-Way Street
“Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him” (Ps. 85: 7 CSB)
We may forget that prayer is a two-way street. God does answer our prayers.
I know. Sometimes it feels like God doesn’t give a return visit.
God does respond to our prayers. No, I can’t say I ever heard an audible voice.
Instead, God gives us impulses. Remember, we said that we get guidance from the Holy Spirit through impulses. Those nudges are His responses to us.
To read a related devotion, click on the appropriate button below.
Sometimes, God uses other people provide His words of encouragement or direction. God has used family, friends, My Ladies, Pastor Chad – even complete strangers to talk with me.
God frequently talks with us through His Word. I know. We may not see His Word as Him speaking to us personally. Anyone could – and everyone should – read His Word.
Look at it this way, though. God’s Word is available to many of us 24/7/365. Even if we don’t have a physical copy, we can get to it on the internet.
Ouch, we don’t want to see trials as God talking to us, but He is. The Homilist wrote, “Every visitation has its mission. There is a purpose in every pain and an object in every trial.”
Resource
God does do the return visits. He may not be talking to us the way we are expecting – or saying what we want Him to be saying.
But God does respond to our prayers. Many times, that response is to give us peace – even if the answer isn’t what we really wanted to hear.
What Is the Right Way to Pray?
“I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways” (Ps. 85: 8 NLT)
It is important for disciples of Christ to communicate with God the right way. But what is the correct way to pray to God?
Webster gave us some ideas. (Note: The headings are his words.)
Resource
His Disposition
I think Webster pointed out some things that the Psalmists may have taken for granted. The Psalmists say they are going to sit tight and wait for God.
Webster expanded on what that actually meant. He wrote, “He had sought forgiveness, consolation, revival, from the hands of God, both for himself and his people; and now he would watch, wait, attend, expect the Divine direction, and the Divine blessing.”
There are several important steps here to make sure that we are correctly praying.
- We have to evaluate ourselves and determine where we have sinned.
- We have to ask God to forgive us of those sins.
- The consolation could be the peace we receive as comfort after we have disappointed our Father.
- We are restored to a perfect relationship with God.
- We receive blessings, which may be where the peace comes in.
Let’s think of it this way. Our disposition is our temperamental makeup.
When we think of our temperament, we ask ourselves are we patient people? Well, in the instant-gratification world we live in, it is difficult to be patient.
Webster also talked about how we should expect God to answer our prayers. He brought up a good point. We are to be people who are watching.
We think about it being watching for Jesus to return. Webster told us we also have to watch God work.
Glossary
Bottom line, we have to be obedient. God told us to watch – we need to be watching for whatever He is going to do.
His Expectation
God is going to help us understand, so we will gain peace as He reveals Himself to us. We have all the great words, such as assurance, hope, grace, and provision, to expect God to provide us.
Spurgeon contented that, if we are His people – His saints – we should expect God to talk with us. Since it is identified for His saints, it is connected with holiness. Saint means holy ones.
Spurgeon also made another very interesting comment. He believed that people can only be spoken by God. He got this from the “… for he speaks peace to his faithful people …” (Ps. 85: 8 NLT) part. Spurgeon argued that any other peace is evil.
I don’t know. That may have to go into the drafts folder.
Resource
Making the Connections
Ouch. The Homilist was brutal. He called it like he saw it.
“We pray to God. Do we want to hear what He has to say in reply? Most of our petitions are never thought of as soon as they are delivered. We knock at the door, but never stay to see it opened. Can we expect that God will attend to those prayers which we ourselves contemn?”
Resource
We expect God to be a gum ball machine. We put our quarter prayer in and want the gum ball that we have identified.
We want our prayers answered on our terms – no deviation. Then we have the nerve to question why God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want them answered?
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
We said early on this year that, when asked what we need to have more self-discipline in, our prayer life was a frequent answer.
How Do We Apply This?
- We need to spend time in prayer to build the relationship.
- We need to work on our attitude.
- We need to work on our consistency.
- We need to work on our praise.
- We need to choose to submit to God.
- We need to choose to focus on Him instead of circumstances.
- We need to accept peace is our duty as disciples.
God wants to give us His peace. To receive it, we have to be obedient in prayer.
Father God. We praise Your name. You have so much love and peace that You want to give us. You ask that we be obedient, especially in prayer. Helps us to strengthen our prayer life in order to worship You as we should. Amen.
What do you think?
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