Approaching the Lord of Lords!

             In my last post, I talked about the fact that we have unlimited access to the Creator of the Universe.  We don’t need a special invitation or have a fear of punishment.  We can talk to Him anytime, and the best part is that He listens.  However, His response to us may depend on how we approach Him.

            First and foremost, remember that you are talking to the God of all gods and the Lord of Lords.  Come before Him with reverence and awe.  Jesus began the Lord’s Prayer with “Father, hallowed it be your name” (Luke 11: 2 NIV84).  Hallowed means holy.  Never forget that God is a holy God.  The Lord, Himself said through the Psalmist, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46: 10 NIV84).  Begin by knowing Who you are talking to.

            Next, you must have faith.  God works in ways that we don’t always understand, so we must trust the One that we have believed.  The apostle, Paul, said it like this, “…I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day (II Timothy 1:12 NIV84). We must begin with the faith that God not only hears but can meet our needs.

            Finally, we must recognize that God’s ways are not our own.  His ways are perfect, ours are not.  Therefore, we must be willing, just as Christ did, to surrender our will to His.  Jesus did that in the garden when He asked that the sacrificial cup be taken from Him.  He concluded that prayer with “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22: 42b NIV84).  John makes it clear that when we pray in agreement with God’s will, God will answer our prayers. 

            “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (I John 5: 14 – 15 NIV84).

            God hears our prayers.  How He responds depends on how we approach Him.  He’s not a “vending machine” who just spits out our selection.  He is the Holy God who calls us to trust Him and His sovereignty. He asks us to follow where He leads, not our own path.  What’s the result?  Peace like no other.  Prayer can change your life if you follow God’s formula and not your own.

Psalm 46: 10

II Timothy 1: 12

I John 5: 13 - 15

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