Rodney Drury: Approaching God in Prayer

Approaching God in Prayer

Motivation.

What motivates me to approach God? Is it my passion? Is it my need? Maybe I pray became I don’t know what else to do. Yep. I do all of that. And I have been enjoying a life of prayer for years now. But I have also been growing. Maybe not “miracle grow” growing. But I have experienced progress.

Most of the time I look at my prayer life and I see success, if I am having a fulfilled life. When things are going my way, I am succeeding. But when things are going bad, when I am failing as a person or a leader, then my heart tells me I am failing. What I have just described, is that I live most of my Christian life centered around me. Good and bad, success and failure, joy and happiness are all based on how well I fell my life is going.

So, chances are, I approach God based on me.

But is that good? Is that the best way? Might it even be evil?

Think about this. The good news or Gospel of Jesus Christ is about what God has done for us. It is history – it has already occurred. And it is independent of me. The work of God was finished before I was alive. Who I am now, and what I do today all happened after what God has done. I can’t change the gospel of God because it is over, past, history.

Yet I live as though what I do effects what He has done. Isn’t that odd? I don’t think what I do today effects what Present Lincoln or Alexander the Great did. So why do I think what I do today makes a difference in what Jesus Christ did?

Maybe it’s because I have an ongoing relationship with Jesus, not so much with Lincoln or Alexander. I think how I treat God today has a bearing on what God did in the past. I go brain dead, and think I am more important than history. In fact, I have at times forgotten about history. I have forgotten that the saving work of Jesus is accomplished. I have spent time trying to earn it, to make it true for me, and to accomplish what has already been done.

It’s like God has made a statement in the Gospel that “this is who I am, now, forever. Amen. Period.”

What God has done should be my motivation for approaching Him. History informs me about my present. The passage below tells us the truth about what has been done and what we can do.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 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. Heb 4:14-16 ESV

Jesus gave His life on the cross for me, for us. When we try to earn, or deserve what He has already accomplished, we are rejecting what He has done. Why do we reject His love? Why do we try to deserve forgiveness or mercy?

There are a million reason why? I hope you get some of them figured out. But even if you never do, keep on approaching God with confidence based on who He is and what He has done. And isn’t it strange that the passage said that Jesus didn’t sin? Jesus’s sinless history makes a way for my sinfulness today. Jesus paid it ahead.

Approach God for mercy and help because He is merciful and helpful. When you are good, when you are bad, when you think you are good but in essence – bad. Be a Christian who knows their history. The work of Jesus Christ is finished. Receive it. Believe it. Enjoy a love that is not of this world and sets us free from rejection.