Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
“Who do you say I am?”, Jesus asked Peter/ That question is one of the most important questions ever asked. It’s the most important question we are asked.
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Who are we praying to?
Who do you think God is?
After I wrote that question, I thought to myself, that is a really big question. It might just might well be the most important question of all.
Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the son of the Living God.”
Jesus told Peter he had indeed answered correctly. In Peter’s answer, he also identified God.
The attributes of God
God is the Living God, Jesus is His Son. The Holy Spirit is the third person of this holy Trinity that equips us, brings scriptures that we have read, and guides us daily. He is the Imparter of God’s knowledge, and He’s the Equipper who guides us by truth every day. That’s a very simple definition but is enough for now.
After we’ve introduced ourselves (I have a friend who starts her prayers, “Dear, God, it’s me, (her name), we sit in expectation. I will definitely share some blueprints that others use in some later posts, but for now, let’s just sit.
Let’s concentrate on God being a Living God. God who is ever-present. God who, because He lives, helps us live.
I would like to suggest that as you sit still, you think of the words of Psalms 46:10.
“
BE still and know I am God.”
You only have to sit a few minutes. Just repeat that verse a few times and listen.
You have just prayed.
Who are these posts for?
I am writing these posts; however, for those who are just beginning their prayer journey, those who have given up, and for those whom prayer has lost its meaning.
It has been my experience that most Christians, including me, began their prayer journey by just jumping in. While there is nothing wrong with just jumping in, after all, it’s a conversation and we generally don’t think before a spontaneous conversation, maybe this slow and stead
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And even if we are long-time prayers, it never hurts to learn more. In fact, yesterday I was on a zoom call focusing on prayer and I was surprised as some of the reasons that were given for why people don’t pray. We can always learn.
Model of prayer
While we do have models of prayer in the Bible, the Lord’s Prayer being the model Jesus Himself suggests, there is nothing in Scripture that outlines a specific approach. However, when we examine all the ways prayers were prayed in Scripture, we can get some good ideas.
I have a list of prayers in the Bible and have been reading each of them. There are over two hundred and they run the gamut of requests. As I read them, I am further encouraged. I will share some of them with you throughout this course.
Some heroes of the Bible prayed loud, boisterous prayers. Others prayed in desperation. Some prayed in secret. All of them were “right”.
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Because those prayers were “right” and we know they were because God never condemned the prayers or the prayERS, our prayers, however inept we feel they sound, how we think they don’t sound like they should, are “right”, too.
What is prayer 101?
For a long time, I’ve been wanting to write a series on prayer. But it is such a huge topic I didn’t know where to begin. I think that’s because I thought there should be a beginning and an end. I have since decided there can be a beginning, but as I continued to think, I realized I only needed a beginning. The end could come when it came, whenever that was.
So this month is the beginning and who knows when it will end?
As you can tell, I am starting slow. I have game plan and the posts will reflect that. For now, we are learning to sit with God and soak in His presence.
Are there prayers that aren’t acceptable to God?
Yes.
Insincere prayer, prayers that are prayed only for show and to puff oneself up.
And, yes, these people exist in our churches, just like they did in Jesus’ time. But we are not to be concerned about them. We are only to be concerned about our prayers.
Why “Amen” isn’t the end.
What does “amen” mean? Most Christians consider it a way to end their prayer. But here’s what is really means.
It means “so be it”, or “let it be so”. The reason I don’t say “Amen” is because I don’t want to get into the habit of ending my prayers as if I’m done praying. We are never done praying. Many people pray, In Jesus’ name, amen.” I prefer just “In Jesus’ name.
It is, of course, perfectly OK to end your prayer time any way you wish.
Next week we will look at the excuses people give for not praying. I was going to use the word “reason”, but excuses is a better word and the word I used for myself as well.
Your challenge for the week.
Your prayer challenge for the next week is to pray “Be still and know I am God”, every day this week but concentrating on just one word each day.
For example, your word to concentrate on today is “Be.” That’s a wonderful word to begin with. It means just what it says, just “Be”.
Because there are seven words, there is a letter for each day. Nice and convenient.
As part of your meditation, you could jot down some notes after you contemplate on each word.
I hope this little exercise will prove eye-opening for you. You will have learned what is perhaps the most important attribute of God,
HE IS.
God bless and have a good day.
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