The Privilege of Prayer

I heard a story this week of an atheist who found himself in the midst of a group of acquaintances who all just happened to be Christians.  He had shared some difficult things happening in his life, and they had all responded that they would pray for him.  He was offended because he doesn’t believe in God – not understanding that, for Christians, praying for someone is a way to express care and concern.

It’s hard to know how to respond to those who don’t believe in God; but those of us who have begun to understand who God is also understand what an amazing privilege it is to be able to pray.  We know that prayer is not just words uttered in an attempt to alleviate suffering or get things to go well in our lives.  Or at least we should.

Prayer is a privilege because it is an invitation to be in the presence of God Almighty.  Because of Christ’s role as our final high priest, who intercedes for us with God the Father, we are able to “draw near to the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  We get to communicate directly with the God who created us and be in a daily relationship with him!

But it is easy to take this privilege for granted.  Most of us barely scratch the surface of what is available to us in terms of relationship with God.  Prayer becomes more about asking God to act on our behalf and less about the privilege of coming into his presence.  If we think about our human relationships, we get a better picture of what God wants our prayers to be like – daily interaction that listens as well as speaks, not always looking to accomplish our own agenda. 

God promises to make himself available to us if we truly make ourselves available to him: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).  I don’t want to ever take the privilege of prayer for granted, because there is nothing more worthwhile than a relationship with the God of the universe!

"Enter in . . . to the throne room of the Father

Enter in . . . to the presence of the King.

Come behind the veil, and walk with me;
In the cool of the day, I'll walk with you.

For where I am is paradise –
Look into my eyes, look into my eyes;
How I long for you, as you long for me

Won't you take the time to visit for awhile?
For your precious presence
Brings joy to my heart
Oh now my child, come on through . . .

Enter in . . . to the throne room of the Father

Enter in . . . to the presence of the King."

(Chuck Girard, ©1989 Sea of Glass Music/ASCAP)