"Draw night to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." James 4:8
A.W. Tozer was a man of prayer. He wrote on such subjects as knowing God, worshiping God, living a crucified life, and so on. He was known to spend much time praying, lying prostrate on the floor. As a part of his regular devotional life, he read hymnals, claiming the hymns of old were a necessary part of growing in our relationship with God.
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| Photo by Samuel Martins on Unsplash |
The apostle James gives the attributes of a person of prayer. Such a person doesn't depend on written prayers in a prayer book to religiously read. He doesn't pray at set time, reading down a grocery list of names and prayer requests. Such a person has a relationship with God from which he prayers.
Prayer is a conversation with God and much more. Prayer, when done with an attitude of truly seeking the presence of God, deepens our knowledge and understanding of God. If lacking this experience, James tells us a person simply needs to ask God for it, but to do so believing God will provide.
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5
"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8
The phrase "double minded" comes from the Greek word 'dipsychos', which means wavering, uncertain, doubting. It signifies that the person is divided, two-spirited, and vacillating in opinion or purpose.
Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden. What a privilege. The apostles often spoke of their prayer life. If you look at their epistles, you'll find their prayers included thanksgiving, praise...essentially the element of worship.
I enjoy spending time alone with my husband. He is my favorite person to be with. Part of my pleasure is telling him how much I appreciate and love him, and hearing him say the same. Sometimes our times are filled with discussion on our dreams, our family, our work, and those things that make up our day. The time is special and I find myself growing closer and understanding him better each day because of these conversations.
Time with God results in the same, a deeper knowledge of God, a deeper appreciation of fellowship with Him and a keener desire to obey and please Him. That's when a person knows he has spent time in true prayer.
However, often people pray with their mind on one thing, while their words run their grocery list of names and prayer requests before God. The prayer isn't said in faith because they are simply going through the motions their habit of prayer dictates. That's not to say you shouldn't have a habit of praying. Rather, that it not be a religious habit, done without any real consideration of who one is praying to.
Prayer is about a person's relationship with God. The focus of a person's prayer needs to be on that relationship, deepening it, enjoying it, growing in the knowledge and understanding of God. That relationship is beautiful, powerful, more fulfilling than any other relationship, and it begins with true prayer.
"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou are my help and my deliverer: make no tarrying, O my God." Psalm 40:17
"The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry." Psalm 34:15
