1. The work of God is done on our knees. Then we get up and go see what happened. The impossible task God has given us to build spiritual movements requires supernatural enabling.
2. Satan is a roaring lion, seeking to devour, deceive, and destroy. He loves to go after God’s servants, and especially their children. I feel compelled to stand against him, and the best way to do that is kneeling.
3. Increasingly I recognize my own total dependence on God for everything in my life and ministry. Prayer is the way I express that dependence and access God’s provision.
The need for and importance of prayer has pushed me also to do a lot more study of prayer—in the Word, in books on prayer, in the lives of prayer warriors through the centuries, and of course in the teachings and life of Jesus.
Though there are conditions, approaches and models that imply depth and complexity, at its essence prayer is a conversation with God. With that as a starting point, God gave me a simple acrostic to guide me in my praying: TALK.
T—Tell the truth. I need to be honest with God. I need to tell Him my true feelings, desires, fears, etc. He already knows it all, of course, but He desires that I worship Him in spirit and in truth.
A—Ask boldly. God invites me to boldly come into His presence and ask for what I need and desire. He says we don’t have because we don’t ask. Of course, He wants me to come in humility, with thanksgiving, in Jesus’ name. But He tells me to ask.
L—Listen. He wants to be a part of the conversation. He will speak through His Word, in my worship, with a still, small voice. But be assured—He has something to say if I will listen.
K—Keep at it. He exhorts me to keep on asking. Don’t give up. I often wish that weren’t necessary—I feel like giving up way too often. But He seems to have great character-building purposes in persevering prayer.
There is so much more to prayer. I’m definitely still learning. Won’t you join me? Let’s get on our knees and talk to our Father.
c Judy Douglass 2010
love it Judy–great words. Especially the idea that we pray and get on with it…God doesn’t always answer us immediately, we just keep doing the work he’s called us to do.
I love this, Judy. My husband and I have felt spiritually discouraged, and I hadn’t thought to pray against the enemy of our souls. Of course we feel horrible on days after neighbors come to church with us or before major ministry events. I’m running upstairs right now to remind him we are in a battle. We need to T.A.L.K. Praise God!
This morning, I heard Chip Ingram on the radio say that in the book of Acts, prayer preceded something God did or was ongoing while God worked. It was the prayer of an individual, like Peter and the vision God gave him while on the roof of Simon the Tanner’s house, or the prayers of the Jerusalem church when Peter was led out of prison by an angel. While Paul prayed aboard ship during the severe storm, God encouraged him that all lives would be spared.
So yes, we need to TALK to God. Thank you for the timely reminder.
Thanks for this. Very timely. 🙂
I think the main part I need to work on is the “L”–I jam pack talking myself, reading, worshiping, etc. into my times with Him–do, do, do–but rarely have quiet moments where I am simply residing in Him, waiting for His direct words back to me. I need not just to talk TO Him, but WITH Him. To let Him talk to me!
I shared this with my 2 uni student daughters and they also thought it was great.
I love the picture this invoked for me of a 2-way conversation with one who knows and loves us. I am safe with God so I can be honest with him; I am cleansed in Christ so I can boldly ask God even for what I simply desire as well as need; I am secure in God’s love so I can relax enough to listen to him; he tells me to come to him so I can keep on approaching him with my requests.
This also gives me the picture of God waiting for us to come to him, to talk to him, like a dad waiting for his child to share her world with him, just because he loves her and she knows that.
You always take it to how you teach it, Jacquie! I appreciate that.
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[…] https://inkindle.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/talking-with-god/TALKing with God « Kindlinginkindle.wordpress.com1. The work of God is done on our knees. Then we get up and go see what happened. The impossible task God has given us to build spiritual movements requires supernatural enabling. 2. Satan is a roaring lion, seeking to devour, deceive, and destroy. He loves to go after God’s servants, and especia… […]