Posted on 09/28/2020 10:47:11 AM PDT by metmom
"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints" (Eph. 6:18).
Your desire to know God should motivate you toward fervent prayer.
Man's highest purpose is to know God. Jesus prayed to the Father, saying, "This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Of us He said, "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me" (John 10:14). John added that "we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 5:20).
Every Christian knows God through salvation, but beyond that lies an intimate knowledge of God. That should be the quest of every believer. Moses prayed, "Let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may find favor in Thy sight" (Ex. 33:13). David entreated his son Solomon to "know the God of [his] father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind" (1 Chron. 28:9). Even the apostle Paul, who perhaps knew Christ more intimately than any human being thus far, never lost his passion for an even deeper knowledge (Phil. 3:10).
Such passion is the driving force behind powerful prayer. Those who know God best pray most often and most fervently. Their love for Him compels them to know and serve Him better.
How about you? Is your knowledge of God intimate? Does the character of your prayers reveal that you're in the process of knowing God?
Paul's admonitions to "pray at all times in the Spirit" and "be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints" (Eph. 6:18) presuppose that you know God and desire to see His will fulfilled in His people. If not, you'll never appreciate the importance of interceding on behalf of others.
Suggestions for Prayer
The martyred missionary Jim Elliot once prayed, "Lord, make my life a testimony to the value of knowing you." Let that be your prayer each day.
For Further Study
Read 1 Chronicles 28.
What did God forbid David to do? What would happen to Solomon if he failed to know and serve God?
Studying God’s Word ping
Amen My Sister in Christ, Amen!
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The longer God permits us to live, the deeper our knowledge of Him should grow. To actually know (as humanly possible) the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and have that intimate bond with Him so that we are always in an awareness of submission and anticipation of His plan for our lives within His will is the highest way to be alive. I think that is also what "pray without ceasing" means. That there is MORE to this life than the here and now is what a life of faith is about. There is nothing this earth can offer that could replace the relationship with the Almighty. It is much more precious than all the treasure in the world.
Amen!
G’day, mate! Hope you’re doing well.
Not everyone may be a fan of MacArthur, but I don’t see how anyone can help but be impressed by his bold defense for the freedom of religion and peaceful assembly via the local church. May God continue to strengthen and encourage him to stand up to the godless tyranny of the state.
Preach it, sister.
I was honestly surprised when he came out so boldly in defiance of the lockdown orders. Not that I ever thought of him as a wimp, but I guess I just didn’t see any churches defying it.
Most don’t have the resources to get into that kind of legal battle.
But I was thrilled when he did it and have been cheering him on.
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