The word "prayer" really means "a wish directed towards," that is, towards God. All that true prayer seeks is God Himself, for with Him we get all we need. Prayer is simply "the turning of the soul to God." David describes it as the lifting up of the living soul to the living God. "Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul" (Psalm 25:1).What a beautiful description of prayer that is! When we desire the Lord Jesus to behold our souls, we also desire that the beauty of holiness may be upon us.
When we lift up our souls to God in prayer, it gives God an opportunity to do what He will in us and with us. It is putting ourselves at God's disposal. God is always on our side. When man prays, it is God's opportunity. The poet says:
Prayer is the soul's sincerest desire,Uttered or unexpressed,The motion of a hidden fireThat trembles in the breast.
"Prayer," says an old Jewish mystic, "is the moment when heaven and earth kiss each other."
Prayer, then, is certainly not persuading God to do what we want God to do. It is not bending the will of a reluctant God to do our will. It does not change His purpose, although it may release His power.
- The Kneeling Christian
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