Encountering Christ in Prayer

At the heart of faith is a personal encounter with the loving Christ that is beyond all reasoning, beyond all words, and beyond all relationships. This personal encounter takes place in prayer. Christ is not an idea. He is a person. When we pray, we meet with the person Christ. Remember, salvation is about “knowing” him and not just knowing about him. Jesus said, “And this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Like any other relationship you have, knowing him intimately comes from spending time with him. When we spend time talking and listening to him, we begin to see him, ourselves, and the world more clearly—the fire within us burns brighter.

There is nothing like the Christian religion when it comes to the presence of God in relation to humans. In no other faith do we witness God going so close to people. The life of faith is about a journey with the living God established through Christ's work on the cross. This personal life with God dominated the language of the apostles. Thomas Oden writes: “When the apostles began to try to express what happened to them, they did not begin with a system of metaphysics or ethical injunctions or scientific data, but rather with their experiential testimony of an interpersonal encounter with Christ that made ‘all things new.’ I pray that today you reach out for him and personally invite him into your life through prayer.

-Matt

He Hears Every Word (Part 2)

I prayed as I always did for Aaron to be able to speak clearly one day . . .And now, about four years later, we are so thankful for Aaron’s progress. The wonderful teachers, skilled therapists, and Aaron’s own willingness to keep trying are such good gifts from God. To hear Aaron singing--oh, my heart soars! I can’t help but “praise Him from whom all blessings flow . . .”

There must be a moment of realization in anything we bring to God that He truly wants what is best for us. A moment when we surrender to His will. A moment when we choose to trust him whatever the outcome, whatever the answer to our prayers.

I vividly remember Samuel and my “what if” conversations. Imagining the future for a child who could not speak, we held on to the truth of God’s goodness: “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8: 28). What awesome assurance to know that the Creator of heaven and earth wants you to call on Him, wants you to bring all before Him, wants you to know He loves you, and wants you to believe what He has said: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4: 6)

Does he who implanted the ear not hear? (Psalm 94:9a)

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. (Isaiah 65: 24)

Our “happy ending” in this is not just seeing our dreams come true (for other prayers have been and will be answered in ways other than we might prefer), but also the peace we have experienced every step of the way, knowing God desires the best for us, and when we pray, He hears every word.

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He Hears Every Word (Part 1)

Something just happened that caused me to stop in mid-step and praise God for his amazing answers to prayer. What was this extraordinary event? Aaron just bounded up the stairs shouting, “Mommy, I have to ask you something. Do you want any eggs?” I replied, “Yes, I do. Thanks for asking.” A simple exchange and yet one that seems almost miraculous to me. You see, there was a time when we realized that Aaron might never talk.

Sometimes children with a motor planning disorder such as his never become primarily verbal communicators. He began learning signs around age two to help him communicate his needs, and in fact, had created some of his own before then. One sunny afternoon, Aaron and I ran into some neighborhood children up near the playground by our home. Aaron was just over two years old at the time, and variations on a “ba” sound were about all he produced. We knew there were meanings behind these vocalizations even though we couldn’t always figure them out. Still, to most people, they were just “baa, ba, bah.” One of the children laughed and said, “Why does he talk like that? He sounds like a sheep!” Thankfully Aaron did not understand that he was being made fun of. He had been having too good a time playing.

That night I prayed for him to have strength not to be wounded or discouraged by such remarks if he were to grow without being able to speak. I prayed that others who got to know him would see his humor, his enthusiasm, and tender heart. I prayed for him to receive skills needed to communicate in whatever way possible. I thanked God for the incredible gift of our son. I praised Him for the chance to be a mother. Then I prayed as I always did for Aaron to be able to speak clearly one day . . .

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Psalm 65

Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
O you who hear prayer,
to you all men will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.

You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
Those living far away fear your wonders;
where morning dawns and evening fades
you call forth songs of joy.
(1-8)

Pray

In college, a book was passed around through all the really “spiritually minded” students called Practicing the Presence of God by a monk named Brother Lawrence. I can’t say I read it completely through, but I remember one particular quote about Brother Lawrence’s personal prayer life: “For many years I was bothered by the thought that I was a failure at prayer. Then one day I realized that I would always be a failure at prayer; and I’ve gotten along much better ever since.”

This week as we get to the end of James, we talk about prayer, and I must say as your speaker for the day, I am a person who often feels the burden of being a failure at prayer. I pray faithfully . . . WHEN I am in a serious bind. WHEN my kids are sick or WHEN someone dies, I pray! But when things are going great, I rarely think about praying. In fact, when things are going sort of bad or things are unsure . . . I usually don’t think to resort to prayer.

I hope not, but maybe you are like me. Maybe you don’t pray as much as you should. When I think logically, it’s just crazy not to pray. Sometimes I wonder if from heaven above God wonders why we choose to struggle so much without asking for help. I can imagine Jesus saying, “How bad does it have to get before you ask for a little help?! I am right here for you—amazing power! The resurrection Spirit of Christ that dwells in every believer is only a prayer away.”

Instead, we run around on our own and say, “No, no, I can handle this.” It’s interesting in James 5: 13-18, James, who much have spent large amounts of time with his half brother Jesus, does not talk about the theology of prayer, or how to pray, or prove the effects of prayer that much. He just applies it. James says, “Just do it.”

This week we will look at how we can “just do it” and be people of prayer.

Mark