For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Why Pray?

The older kiddos and I have been studying about "prayer" and about how it draws us closer to God. This week in a women's Bible Study lesson, we have been reading through the book of Nehemiah and focusing on Prayer. I came across this passage and loved the way it painted a picture of our conversations with God. It comes from Richard Foster's book, Prayer:Finding the Heart's True Home. The excerpt is written in the Bible Study entitled The Amazing Collection: The Post-Exilic Books (Big Dream Ministries).
           "For too long we have been in a far country: a country of noise and hurry and crowds, a country of climb and push and shove, a country of frustration and fear and intimidation. And He welcomes us home: home to serenity and peace and joy, home to friendship and fellowship and openess, home to intimacy and acceptance and affirmation.
          We do not need to be shy. He invites us into the living room of his heart, where we can put on old slippers and share freely. He invites us into the kitchen of his friendship, where chatter and banter mix in good fun. He invites us into the dining room of his strength, where we can feast to our heart's delight. He invites us into the study of his wisdom, where we can learn and grow and stretch...and ask all the questions we want. He invites us into the workshop of his creativity, where we can be co-laborers with him, working together to determine the outcomes of events. He invites us into the bedroom of his rest, where new peace is found and where we can be naked and vulnerable and free. It is also a place of deepest intimacy, where we know and are known to the fullest."
  There is something about this passage that just spoke volumes to my heart. We can have a personal, close relationship with God. He wants us to be near him...

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