The "Big Thought" that caused this change of plans came as I was reading Romans 8:28-39. As I read verse 29 where Paul defines the "good" in verse 28 as being "conformed to the likeness of His Son," it struck me like a ton of bricks that I have always thought of being conformed to the image of Jesus in behavioral terms, i.e., that I would "do what Jesus did" more and more. But what if being conformed to the image of Jesus means primarily to live in the same awareness of Father and Father's love that Jesus did? This is a huge thought for me. If we were to live with the same awareness of Father God as Jesus did, everything else would follow.
Maybe this isn't a new thought for you, but it was for me. I realized once again how I still tend to view the walk with God more in terms of behavior instead of life-changing intimacy with Father God that transforms my heart and then my behavior.
But how does this connect to praying? In what is not mere coincidence, I am at this time reading about God's "Fatherliness" as I re-read With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray (my all time favorite book on prayer). Andrew Murray states repeatedly that our awareness of God as the best possible Father is the number one key to praying joyfully and effectively. I couldn't agree more, so I offer you a few "Father's Day" quotes from this amazing man to encourage you to consider trying "Father Aware" praying (page numbers are from a 1981 Whitaker House version of this classic book).
"The secret of prayer in spirit and truth is in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God, the revelation of His infinite Fatherliness in our hearts, and the faith in His infinite love of us as His children." (p. 21)
"The first thing in prayer is to meet the Father. The light that shines in the place of prayer must be the light of the Father's face. The atmosphere in which we breath and pray is God's Father-love, God's infinite Fatherliness. Thus, each thought or petition we breathe out will be in simple, heart-felt and childlike trust in the Father. The Master teaches us to pray by bringing us into the Father's living presence." (pp. 24-25)
"The knowledge of God's Father-love is the first and simplest, but also the last and highest lesson in the school of prayer." (p. 31)
Andrew Murray goes on to encourage us to ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into a deep awareness of Father and His love before we pray. I wonder how it would change our praying if we became conformed to the image of God's Son in the sense of becoming as aware of God's Fatherliness as Jesus is! Let it be so, Father God!
I close with a You Tube clip (one of many) of "Team Hoyt," the most remarkable human demonstration of a father's love that I have ever seen. I recently watched this again and was brought to tears as I realized that this human story gives only the tiniest glimpse of our Father's love for us. Perhaps, like me, it will help you enter a little more deeply into Father Aware Praying as you see a demonstration of a father's love for his child. A Father's Incredible Love.
Grasping Father's love in new ways,
Tom, one of His little children
No comments:
Post a Comment