There is a common practice among those who are called by God, and that is the practice of prayer.
Prayer is the lifeline. Prayer is the oxygen. Prayer is the important connection set apart to clearly communicate with God in line with the understanding that all communications are primarily based in him.
In prayer, we are encouraged to make our requests known with thanksgiving. In prayer, we can let all our worries, anxieties and fears known to God and pour out the state of our hearts. In prayer, we have permission to be vulnerable and weak, and to confess everything to God in total transparency, because not only does He know, but He also cares and encourages us to give Him all our burdens. That freedom to be that real with the heavenly Father is one of those great privileges because of the importance of prayer.
The disciples saw that Jesus prayed and knew that John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray. Prayer was important, and so they wanted their Rabbi to teach them how to pray. When Jesus outlined key practices of righteousness, as well as fasting and giving, Jesus addressed prayer to make a clear distinction between the prayers that others went with and the prayer that marked out those who followed Jesus.
Both these prayers made the Kingdom the priority. The communication is to receive from Him all we need to still be His Kingsman. Where others look for opportunities to snipe and belittle, prayer reassures us that our identity is shaped and formed in Him. Where others criticise, condemn, and judge, prayer affirms our position in Him.
As we trust in the Lord and follow the path He sets for us, our relationship with Him develops as we pray. Prayer sees us tell God, we know nothing about what’s going on. Prayer sees us tell God that we need Him to direct our path. Prayer gives us the chance to lean on Him and seek His direction and instruction on how we can give Him glory in the day ahead. Prayer is something we verbalise openly, and we also learn how it works internally at any given time. It’s great to carve out time each day for prayer. It’s great to know that prayer is just as available in the most stressful and pressured times of the day, because it is about the connection we make with the Father to ask Him, seek Him, and receive from Him.
It’s great to develop a relationship with God one-to-one. It gets even better when that relationship is developed along with others who join you in prayer. As in join you. People can be praying in the same room on the same thing, but that doesn’t mean there’s agreement or that people are joined. There is something about a connection between two or more people. The sense that people are together and joined in matters of prayer. Prayers that help people flow smoothly on the same matter and deepen and enrich their connection and communication with God. Prayers that can give us insights into how to pray and challenge us to grow in prayer. Just listening and recognising the depth of communication that someone has with Him and the desire to develop that relationship in the same way.
These are essential matters for the Kingsman, as they develop them in their calling to represent the King and remain in touch with Him to do what He requires. All that to give Him glory as we prioritise the Kingdom.
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
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