The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Prayer of the Upright"
Part 4 - No Greater Motivation
"The prayer of the upright is His delight."
(Proverbs 15:8)
"Whether we sense desire to pray or not, the remembrance that the Father who loves the fellowship of our hearts so dearly will always direct our attention Heavenward."
What motivates true prayer? The better question might be, "Who motivates true prayer?"
"It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
One aspect of God's "good pleasure" wrought by the Holy Spirit in believers is the prayer that "is His delight." Our seeking communion with God ever results from His seeking communion with us. The Holy Spirit moves within our spirits to lead us to the throne of grace. This includes motivation, or our realization of the need and desire to pray. God teaches us through His Word to pray, how to pray, and why to pray. He orchestrates and allows circumstances in our lives to draw us to Himself. He also reveals in Scripture a motivator that may the greatest of all prompts to pray in those who love Him: "The prayer of the upright is His delight."
Can it be that created beings such as ourselves possess the capacity to bring personal pleasure to a Creator infinitely beyond our understanding? Does the fellowship of our hearts mean that much to His heart? If, in this moment, we direct our communication toward Him, can it be that He responds emotionally to us? The Word of God plainly states the truth of our Father's delight in the prayers of the upright, that is, of those who have been lifted from the mires of sin by receiving the grace of the Lord Jesus. We can "walk and… please God," a primary aspect of which involves the prayer that matters so much to us - and matters so much more to Him. "The Lord taketh pleasure in His people" (I Thessalonians 4:1; Psalm 149:4).
The conscious desire and motivation to pray ebbs and flows in all believers. Sometimes fellowship with God seems like the most natural of all expressions. At other times, prayer may seem more a practice of personal responsibility. What if, however, our feelings and sensibilities regarding prayer are not actually the main issue of fellowship with God? What if how He feels about our communion with Him matters by far the most in motivating prayer? It cannot be otherwise in the hearts of those who been redeemed by the grace and mercy of Christ as the Holy Spirit works in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Whether we sense desire to pray or not, our remembrance that the Father who loves the fellowship of our hearts so dearly will always direct our attention Heavenward. Whether this means the briefest of devoted and grateful expressions of appreciation, or more lengthy seasons of communing with God, His desire for our prayers matters far more than our desire to pray. "I will love Thee, o Lord my strength" declared the Psalmist to to the One who had so mercifully loved him, and whose heart he so desired to please (Psalm 18:1).
Let us establish as a matter of principle, conviction, and personal devotion that "the prayer of the upright is His delight" will serve as our primary motivation to pray. Let us make prayer more about what it elicits in God's heart than in our own. We may well pray more as we do so. Most importantly, we will pray better as the love of Christ in our hearts directs our focus upward, outward, and away from ourselves and unto the love in God's heart for us. Can it be that we matter so much to Him? The Spirit of God, the Christ of God, and the Word of God bear witness that we do. Of all the motivations to pray, never will we find a greater.
"Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice."
(Song of Solomon 2:14)
Weekly Memory Verse
"In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
(Psalm 16:11)
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