The prayer lives of people are as original as fingerprints. Some of us pray quite frequently and yet some only pray on rare occasions. Some of us pray for the sake of others. And there are those of us who pray more for ourselves. Some of us only pray when we need something.
Then there is location. Some of us prefer to pray on our knees. Some of us actually have a prayer closet (a room where there are no distractions and we can meet with God in an intimate way). And others pray only in church. Still some of us pray any and everywhere we go.
Then there is the way that we pray. Some of us pray very elegant prayers. While others pray from the heart. Some of us pray scripture verses. And some pray the simplest and most beautiful prayers. Some people enjoy praying out loud, while others can’t muster up the courage.
Then sadly, there are those who don’t pray at all.
God doesn’t care about how original, elegant, or masterful our prayers are. He doesn’t care if we are praying in a church service, prayer closet, our kitchen while cooking, or behind the wheel of our car. And He doesn’t care if we are praying with our face on the floor, on our knees, or standing while singing worship songs, praying the words to Him as we sing.
He just wants to hear our voice calling out to Him. They are a sweet aroma to God.
“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 5:8.
God desires to hear our voices. They are precious to Him. They are so precious that they are like the sweet aroma of incense filling the room, Revelation 5:8 tells us. Think about that for a moment. Can’t you picture God sitting upon His throne? His eyes are closed. He takes a deep breath, basking in the sweetness of the sound of your voice as you call out to Him, your Heavenly Daddy. And His thoughts are of you and how much He loves you and the sound of your voice.
But we have to remember that one key component to a prayer is that it be genuine and from the heart.
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7.
You see, God adores us. Now we may not always be pleasing to him, but He absolutely adores us. So much so that He sent His one and only Son to die in our place. And He loves the sound of our voice as we call out to him, whether we are calling out on our own behalf, that of someone else, or just to say, “I was just thinking about you, Father, and I love you.” In fact, that last one is probably more special to him than most, but I’m just guessing.
Our physical stance, location, or even the eloquence of our words don’t matter to God. But sincerity does matter.
Although God may be particularly fond of the prayers that we pray just telling him that we love him, there is one that I am pretty certain is His absolute favorite. It is the prayer that we pray when we become certain that there actually is a God; when we recognize that Jesus came to suffer and die in our place. It’s the very same one that we pray when we know that we have not done what He would have us do, nor have we been who He would have us be. And we finally call out to Him with a sincere heart and ask forgiveness. We ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives. We ask Him to help us to live our lives in a way that glorifies and pleases God.
That is a prayer that begins our transformation from death to life. That is when we truly become a child of God. And I am certain it is His favorite kind of prayer.
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and have never been adopted into God’s family, I assure you it isn’t because God doesn’t want you. He has been waiting for you! He’s longing to hear your precious voice call out to Him. I pray that you would cry out in this very moment. There is a prayer like the one I described on our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). Please go to this page and pray one of the most important prayers you will ever pray. It is outlined there.
Once you have prayed that prayer, please reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. I’d love to know that you have given your heart to Jesus. And I’d love to be in prayer for you and to welcome you into the family of God.
Now, if you have prayed that prayer before and Jesus is your Savior, but you just haven’t been chatting with God much lately, there is no time like the present. I pray that you too would take this opportunity and pray. From the bottom of your heart, call out to Him and repent. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Renew your relationship with the lover of your soul!
Perhaps, you are right on course and spending time in God’s word and praying to Him daily. Keep up the good work! But maybe this is a moment when you can send a love letter prayer up to our Heavenly Daddy; one that is just to say “I love you” as to fill His throne room with the sweet aroma of your prayer.
Father God, thank you for your great love for us. Thank you that you even allow us to bring our petitions to you. Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you that, through His blood, we can enter into your presence and bring our petitions before you. We do so love you, Abba Father! Help us to show your love to the hurting world around us and to stay in constant contact with you, Father, as we pray without ceasing. We pray this in your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen.
Luv ya!
