Recently, one of my kids went on a mission trip and was trying to give me a call to check in. Since this was the first time she had ever really been away for a significant amount of time “on her own,” I was obviously thrilled to speak with her.
There was just one problem; her phone connection was very poor. I could make out a phrase or two, but overall, it was rather disappointing. I got the general idea, that things were going well, but the conversational flow was nonexistent. Even though I knew the basics of how my daughter was doing, that she was alive and having a good time, I wanted more. I wanted to hear her stories, the struggles, and the wins!
I wonder if that is the way God desires to connect with His children. Prayer is not a duty that we need to perform it is an invitation to connect with our Heavenly Father. He wants to hear our hearts, not a checklist of what we think God wants to hear or a report of the facts of our day. What would our relationships look like if our conversations never went anywhere deeper than the surface?
God wants us to feel confident to come as we are and to bring all of who we are to Him. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” In other words, don’t hold anything back! Don’t allow static to create a barrier between you and God.
What are some examples of static in our prayer life?
- Doubt
- Fear
- Anger
- Bitterness
- Jealousy
- Comparison
- Religious duty
Ephesians 4:30-32- “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
1 Peter 2:1-3- “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
Paul (in Ephesians) and Peter (in 1 Peter) each name some pretty insidious areas of static in our lives. The way we “put away” all these things is not to suppress all the negative feelings we have, but to lay them out plainly and ask God to renew our hearts with His grace so that we can live a static-free life. The more consistent we draw with confidence before His throne of grace, the more clarity we have of the type of grace and forgiveness He offers to us and asks us to extend to others.
