Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is another excellent lesson!
Praying to God in Secret
When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut
your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place… —Matthew 6:6
The primary thought in the area of religion is— keep your
eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be
known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one
even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no
motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry
on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.
“When you pray, do not use vain repetitions…” (Matthew 6:7). God
does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of
redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply
getting things from God— that is only the most elementary kind of prayer.
Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of
God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He
will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude
about the things for which we pray.
“Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8). We
pray religious nonsense without even involving our will, and then we say that
God did not answer— but in reality we have never asked for anything.
Jesus said, “…you will ask what you desire…” (John 15:7). Asking means
that our will must be involved. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He spoke
with wonderful childlike simplicity. Then we respond with our critical
attitude, saying, “Yes, but even Jesus said that we must ask.” But
remember that we have to ask things of God that are in keeping with the God
whom Jesus Christ revealed.
The very BEST verses on answered prayer are found in 1 John 5:14-15:
14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.
PRAY God's WORD, which IS God's WILL and you will KNOW that He hears you! If He hears you, then you HAVE it! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song":
Shalom in Him!
