"The Fruit of Prayer"

While it may not be possible to overemphasize the value of prayer, it is possible to wrongly emphasis this blessed gift of God to our hearts.

Prayer is fruit, that is, we pray from God as the basis of praying to God. Apart from His presence and dynamic working in us, we wouldn't have the slightest interest in sincere communication and fellowship. Indeed, the praying Christ dwells in us by His Spirit, motivating us to seek our Heavenly Father. "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). He leads, motivates and enables us to pray as we trust and submit ourselves to Him for the blessed experience of being living temples wherein the Divine and the human unite in love.

Recognizing prayer as fruit causes prayer to be known as a matter of grace and truth rather than works. Prayer thus becomes real and living rather than rote and ritualistic. God has no interest in prayer without heart, and neither should we (Isaiah 1:15). Our first response to the matter of prayer therefore involves knowledge and affirmation of God's promise to work in us "to will and do of His good pleasure" regarding communion with Him (Philippians 2:13). We humble ourselves by acknowledging that in and of ourselves, we are no more capable of desiring and practicing prayer than we are of saving our own souls. Upon this basis of Truth and humility, we then expect the Lord to lead us to the altar of prayer that exists in our hearts by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He will not disappoint, and we will find ourselves genuinely desiring and actively practicing the blessed gift of praying from God in order to pray to God.

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

(Jude 1:20-21)