14/05/2023
ON PRAYER
The object of pursuit, and the desired reward of true prayer, is God.
Prayer, for the sake of prayer, will do us no good. But prayer, for the sake of God—oh, what bliss! It is well if in our hunger for God the Holy Spirit keeps us labouring for many hours. But if for some carnal reason we do so, such as to mark time, then we merely labour as fools.
Prayer is the desperate heart cry of the beloved to the Loving God; it is engaged in as God draws a man and causes him to approach His throne. It is not for the man to impress his peers therewith, nor to prove that he can pray long. The prayer endeavour lasts as long as it takes for the seeking soul to be satisfied by God, not as long as it takes for the clock to hit a mark. God alone is the satisfaction of the true seeker. Nothing else will satisfy him.
"As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the Living God. When can I go and stand before Him?" (Psalm 42:1-2 NLT)
"Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple." (Psalm 65:4 KJV)
There are times when an hour will bless the soul well, and there are times when many days will not suffice for the Beloved to unburden himself before God, as well as for God to minister truth, peace, joy and rest to his disquieted soul.
Praying for the sake of God—to seek His face is without pomp or publicity. The seeker simply comes with true desire, humbly, sincerely, and desperately to seek God. There is no iota of vainglory in his labour, as he prays to the Father who sees in secret. Deep calls to deep...
He comes, not merely to pass time, or to arm himself with something to boast about among men, but to meet with God his King, and to look upon His precious face.
"My heart has heard You say, "Come and talk with Me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming." " (Psalm 27:8 NLT)
Talking TO God is good. But talking WITH God, rather, that is better. It is indeed the deeper, richer, fuller Christian prayer. Let us be more keen to listen than to speak. Let us be the generation that is led by the Spirit, and not by the hurried ticking and flipping of clocks and calendars.
"This is the generation of them that seek Him, that seek Thy face, O [God of] Jacob. Selah." (Psalm 24:6 KJV)
It is a glorious thing that God has granted us such great zeal for prayer—praise God for this! But let us in our zeal yield to the Spirit ever more, relish the presence of God and savour it well. Let us take care to be reverent worshippers, and maximise the presence of Jesus.
Let us learn to hallow God and hallow His presence; to stay with God and wait upon Him, in deep desire and heartfelt longing; in inutterable groanings and staid silence, in joyful praise and fearful trembling; in reverent worship and loving adoration; until the rivers of His presence breaks upon us and overflows us.
"Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore." (Psalm 105:3-4 KJV)
May the God of all grace grant us mercy, cause us to approach, pull us back from the Martha-esque frenzy we are now in and revive in us the heart of Mary. The heart that seeks His face.
May we again cry as those blessed disciples did, "Oh Lord Jesus, TEACH US TO PRAY!"
—Michael Ani
