Tuesday, October 4, 2011

"The Fruit of Prayer" Part 2

- 2 -
Prayer, the Communication of God

Prayer is often thought of and referred to as communication with God.  This is true.  However, a more elemental or primary meaning defines prayer as the communication of God.

    "And God said, Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26).

    Early in Scripture, the truth of God's triune nature begins to unfold, revealing the wondrous union of the Divine plurality, as existing in unity.  The Bible plainly states the existence of one God, and one God only.  "The Lord our God is one Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:4).  In the very declaration, however, the truth of three Persons dwelling in one infers the mystery - the Lord our God is one Lord.  Scripture identifies the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all as God, unapologetically affirming without explaining the seeming enigma of Three dwelling as One, and One as Three (I Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:8; Job 26:13).

     Inherent in the triune personhood of God is communication.  Again, "let us make man in our image."  The Apostle John refers to the Lord Jesus as "the Word," and the Bible references all three Divine persons in terms of speaking and communicating (John 1:1; 12:28; 7:46; Acts 8:29).  Thus, the truth of heart to heart and mind to mind relationship begins in God, or more simply stated, prayer begins in the communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

    I find this to be a thrilling and illuminating thought.  When the believer prays, as led and enabled by the Holy Spirit, he enters into an eternally ancient reality of loving discourse that has forever fulfilled the heart of God.  We may not know or understand that such a wondrous gift graces our trusting spirits.  Nevertheless, true prayer involves a far greater significance and bestowal of grace than we often realize, granting to us the living experience of the very heart of the Creator.  "And He said, Abba Father... Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Mark 14:36; Galatians 4:6).

    Surely our Heavenly Father could have given us no greater gift.  Indeed, prayer involves many things, including privilege, responsibility, necessity and the accessing of God's leading and enabling.  Most of all, however, prayer grants to us the gift of our Lord Himself, known and experienced deep within our hearts.  Our Lord could not love us more than to call us and usher us into so great and good a blessedness of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

"Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father."
(Romans 8:15)

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