When We Gather To Pray…

 

…WE DRAW NEAR TO A GOD OF MERCY.

Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”  — Genesis 18:23

Someone from our church family was really sick in the hospital this week. Things could have gone really bad, very quickly. And because of this, I know a lot of people at Grace were praying for this person. Fortunately, praise God, the situation has improved, and it no longer seems like they are on the edge of the cliff.

However, we have to realize that in these situations, and frankly in all situations, how we pray is actually more important than what we pray.

Abraham shows us this. He too was staring off the edge of a cliff. God was about to go and destroy the city of Sodom, where some of his family lived. Abraham wanted God to relent in order to save his family. And God would relent, but not because of the request, rather because of Abraham’s approach. It says that Abraham drew near to God. You see, Abraham knew he couldn’t make this request from afar. And so he courageously approached the most righteous God to make his request.

I think we often make our prayers to God from far away. We want God to do something, but we don’t first draw near to him. We talk to him impersonally, from a distance. It’s kind of like the difference between a text message and an in-person visit. Think of a very personal request you might make of someone, like asking your girlfriend to marry you. Could you imagine making that request over text, or even a phone call? It’s not simply about the message, it’s about the approach. It has to be intimate. The same is true with God.

A lot of us want things from God. And that’s great. God wants to provide for us. He wants us to make our requests to him. But more importantly, God wants us to draw near to him. He wants us to experience intimacy with him.

Psalm 73:28 says, “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”

If we’re honest, most of us are probably scared to get too close to God. Like a lion, we’d rather keep him at a distance. Or we’re just lazy, because intimacy takes work. Or we’re ashamed. We don’t believe that we deserve to be close to God.

But that’s what Christ is for. He makes drawing near to God possible. We don’t have to be afraid or ashamed or think all the work is on us. Christ has made the way.

When we gather to pray, we draw near to the merciful God of heaven and earth who shelters us in His wing and provides us with every good blessing. And there’s no place we should rather be.

So join us this Sunday at 6pm for our monthly prayer gathering as we draw near to our God and make our requests. He wants to be known. And we want to know Him.

In Christ,

Matthew Lautz

Director of Worship Arts