Prayer Board

[frenchee]

Prayer Is Essential by Pastor Charles Stanley

Where do we begin our step-by-step walk with God? Jesus taught His disciples
to pray (Luke 11:1–4). Therefore, you must begin with prayer. One
man told me, “I don’t want to get into anything too deep in prayer. I’m not a
very emotional person. I enjoy church, but I’m not one of those people who
does a lot of talking to God. I mean, what would I say to Him? He knows
everything anyway.” One of the greatest desires of God’s heart is that you
and I would desire to know Him—not just give lip service to Him on
Sundays but truly long to know Him and His ways. He wants to build an
intimate relationship with us, but do we desire the same thing when it comes
to Him? Do we want to know Him? To achieve this, we must also learn His
ways. We may do this by drawing near to God, as James wrote: “Draw near
to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
The intimate moments we share with the Savior are the very times when
He reveals Himself to us. With our minds focused on loving and worshiping
Him, we sense His closeness. Moses wanted to know God. His quest
was not simply to gain a type of human knowledge. He wanted to know
Him as a Friend and a personal, holy God. God wanted to show Moses how
to live in the light of His favor and blessing: “Whenever Moses entered the
tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent;
and the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar
of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and
worship, each at the entrance of his tent. Thus the Lord used to speak to
Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:9–11, emphasis
added). The word friend in this context means “intimate companion.”
God never intended for us to know only about Him. He wants us to come
to know Him—His ways and His unconditional love for us.
Many times, the British people scoff at Americans, saying we are often
quick to engage in conversation but fall short when it comes to building deep
relationships. On the other hand, they may appear standoffish when first
introduced; however, once they have formed a close friendship, it usually lasts
a lifetime. The closer in fellowship we become with God, the more we will
trust Him. This is true for every relationship. The more time we spend with a
Intimacy with God: An Essential Requirement 5
6 In Step with God
friend, the more we learn about him or her, and the more we rely on that
person. As trust increases, we find ourselves opening up and talking about the
feelings we have and challenges we face. Trust and intimacy are tightly woven
together. If we do not sense we can trust a person, we probably won’t take time
to get to know him or her. And even if we do, we will be cautious.