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Monday, April 15, 2019

Real Prayer ... Not Prattling


"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened," says Paul (Eph. 1.18)

Maybe it is fashionable to call spiritual things we don't understand "mystical."
If we can't grasp a truth of that realm with our minds we relegate it to a place of mysticism;
misunderstood and maybe unimportant.

Thus with prayer - we want to reduce it to its minimum expression.
It becomes merely something we say when we direct our attention to God.

"Let my prayer come before Thee" says the psalmist. (Ps. 88.2)
     "Let …
          my ... 
               prayer …
                    come before Thee."

This belongs to a realm beyond human ken,
a place that "baffles mortal sight."
... mystical?

"Let my prayer"...

A hang-glider steps off the solid ground of earth's limitations, 
and finds himself for the first time floating in a new realm - with its own dimensions.
So it is with the child of God when he lets go of his dependence on his earthly way of understanding and steps into the realm of God.

Then the prayer takes wings, and goes up and up, and up and up, and up and up, and up and up,
     beyond the limits of human flesh, 
            and all the thoughts, 
              and fears and shadows,
                   of earthly things.

It rises up to the realm of the Spirit,
     up beyond the angels,
          up beyond the glories of heaven,
               up to the very throne of God.

And when I get to that Place, the words of "my prayer" are silenced,
and my first words are only a recognition of He Who sits upon the throne,
     "Hallowed,"
          "Holy."

All trembles, and there sweeps over me the recognition 
that I don't belong there for anything that I am.
     I come through His mercy.
          I come through His work in me.

Then, way way after this, comes my tiny prayer in the midst of the Majesty. 
Then, I bring the things which I seek from Him for this cold, dark and fallen world where I live.

                       Then my prayer comes before Him.

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