Prayer…a Different Perspective

If you are like me, you have read many books on prayer. Authors like T.W. Hunt, Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Henry Blackaby, Jim Cymbala and so many others have had powerful books published for our spiritual growth.

You have probably done Bible studies on the topic of prayer. And if you have been a Christian for a while, you’ve prayed quite a bit. Although Jesus gives His disciples a pattern for prayer in the Gospels (Matthew 6:9-13 & Luke 11:2-4), there is no one way to pray. At different seasons in life and with different needs, we pray as our heart leads us.  But one thing is true, we pray differently as we get to know the author of prayer in a deeper way.

Recently I was given a book by my friend Cyndi Grace, Preparing Our Hearts for Prayer . I wasn’t sure how different it would be from other books I’d read, but I know Cyndi and have seen how God has worked in her life and ministry, so I was interested in reading her book.

Immediately I was drawn to her focal passage for this book, some of my favorite verses, Isaiah 6:1-8. When I came to understand more of Isaiah’s temple experience, the pattern for worship and serving God was obvious. I loved seeing how Cyndi took me even deeper into my understanding of Isaiah’s temple experience. My desire to know and approach him in worship grew even more.

Here is that 5-step process I learned when I first studied this passage:

1. Enter into His presence in awe: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.” (Isaiah 6:1-2)
2. Proclaim His holiness and tremble as WHO He is: “And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.”          (Isaiah 6:3-4)
3. Recognize our sinfulness in light of His holiness: “Then I said:Woe is me for  I  am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Armies.” (Isaiah 6:5)
4. Accept the forgiveness He offers us: “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:6-7)
5. Realize God now wants to send us to tell others: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking, Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.”(Isaiah 6:8)

Only when we realize who God is and what He has done for us through Christ’s sacrifice, can we really begin to proclaim Him and His holiness to a fallen world. Through Cyndi’s book you will walk through this process in a deeper way and come out realizing, as I did, how far you have to go to truly understand how to pray to our awesome God. And what a privilege it is to “get” to pray to the Almighty.

He desires our hearts to be fully submitted to Him as we see Him for who He is. Then He wants us to represent Him in today’s culture as we pray for and love others to Him.

You will be blessed by reading this fresh look at prayer Cyndi has given us. You will be convicted by the truths God will reveal to you. And you will seek to honor His presence as you pray and tell others.

Easter is a perfect time to focus on our God in this way. But let’s make this a daily priority as well.