The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Prayer - Privilege... Responsibility "
Prayer constitutes an ongoing responsibility in the hearts and lives of born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17).
Long before responsibility, however, we must realize and be amazed by the wonder that an eternal, infinite God - against whom we sinned to the degree His beloved Son suffered and died for us - calls us to commune with Him in loving fellowship of Heart to heart.
"When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek" (Psalm 27:8).
Of course, the Psalmist speaks to a seeking by faith of God's face in our present existence. "We walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7). This speaks all the more to how personal we must view prayer. We seek, as it were, the face of God's heart as we approach the throne of grace in faith, humility, and awed gratitude. There, we find a Heavenly Father who feels as we seek Him: "the prayer of the upright is His delight" (Proverbs 15:8). I try to especially remember and ponder this as the day begins, when my own sensibilities regarding prayer bear little reciprocal response. Whether I feel or sense anything approaching "delight" in prayer, the remembrance that God does rejoice in our seeking His face provides powerful motivation to fulfill the responsibility by first focusing on His pleasure in having given to us so wondrous a gift. "The Lord taketh pleasure in His people" (Psalm 149:4).
It cannot be otherwise. We must have grace to seek God's face. As in every aspect of our relationship and fellowship with Him, He must proactively work, and we must actively respond. We ever "work out" that which He "works in" (Philippians 2:12-13). Knowing that every genuine prayer we offer originates in His beckoning and enabling greatly empowers the real and free choice we make to avail ourselves of so great a gift. Indeed, prayer is not programmed, despite the necessity of God's involvement. Such communication would mean absolutely nothing to either Him or ourselves. I appreciate the computer on which I live a significant portion of my life communicating. I have no relationship with the device, however. I may freely convey my thoughts to it, and it functions well in receiving, formatting, and disseminating them. We do not, however, fellowship with one another as the product of relationship. Conversely, God's working upon and within our hearts involves the depths of His Spirit beckoning to the depths of our own. The Psalmist may have had this in mind when he testified, "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts: all Thy waves and thy billows are gone over me" (Psalm 42:7).
How privileged are we to fulfill such responsibility? Calvary best answers the question. "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). To the degree God turned away from the Lord Jesus as He bore our sins can be viewed in direct proportion to how much He seeks and enjoys the fellowship of our heart. Surely, in this holy light, shining forth from the darkest night, we discover how much He loves the fellowship of our hearts. Yes, we fulfill the solemn duty of prayer by walking through its gates of grace to avail ourselves of a privilege purchased for us by the highest cost ever remitted. Let us then say it with the Psalmist… "When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek."
How can it be, Lord,
that You call me to this place,
to gaze upon Your face?
Oh, it must be, it is! Thy Throne of grace!
I see the Blood-stained way,
that nail-scarred Feet have traced.
I hear the Spirit call, o come unto this place!
It must be, it is! Thy Throne of grace!
Other paths my broken feet would stay,
I could not come by another way.
No other access could I find to this blessed and holy place.
Oh, it must be, it is! Thy Throne of grace!
"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice."
(Psalm 55:17)
Weekly Memory Verse
Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
(Galatians 5:16).
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