Encouraging prayer God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On encouraging prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray. And now, here's James.
So, today I'm encouraging prayer. I think you're going to, I know I am blessed about this particular subject. We often pray. Pray about things we're thinking about, but have you ever considered? How does God feel about things?
How about praying about how God feels, James? Yeah, I think this is such a rich topic, Robbie. gone there last week when uh You had talked about Um prophecy and how how all of the prophets were We're basically after that kind of heart, you know, a heart that said, God, what is your feeling? What are your thoughts? on a matter and Recently I've been reading in the prophet Jeremiah, which is, you know, if you want a great book to read on prophecy, I mean, just a lesson on it.
There it is from beginning to end. Jeremiah is just so informative. And um You know, you see in this a guy who is continually taken to task because He's actually telling his people. What God wants and what God feels. And everyone else is saying, no, no, no, that's not right.
And, you know, he's suffering. Because of it, But in the end, he's proven right. But his whole heart is to just serve God this way. Yeah, that's that that is The ma Jeremiah to me is a suffering prophet. And what you get from Jeremiah is a lot of emotion.
Right, he's weeping. He wrote Lamentations, right? And so that idea that God is fully emotional. Is so insightful to me, and that the prophet Jeremiah was so concerned about where God was emotionally. Right, right.
It's fascinating. Yeah, you Look at um Philippians chapter 2, where Paul describes Timothy. And you see this beautiful thing in verses 19 and 20 where Paul describes Timothy as showing genuine concern for others, in this case the Philippians. And you just think, wow, you know, what a stand-up guy Timothy must be, that that he's you know, not just concerned about himself. He's he's concerned about God's mission in the world.
Yeah. you know how the best take care of of other people on that mission. And looking at that just makes me think Am I that guy? You know And uh As often as not, I think, no, I've just been bringing up my own concerns again. And so the question is really How do we go there?
You know, how do we do this more? And you and I had a conversation right before we went uh live here today where Um You were talking about listening to God. And just Getting Quiet. before him. You have a real practice about that that I think we can learn from.
Yeah, it's one of the definite joys of my life. is that Is that relationship is two-way, right? That you have. two ears and one mouth and I always try to do the math. Yeah.
In prayer, it's like, you know, listen twice as much as I speak because I fear that. He he wants to communicate with me But clearly you know, his emotional Well-being is fascinating. It's like Moses. You could hear him say, but God, you won't look good if this happens or that happens. Part of the reason he always communicated with God, it seemed like, in a way, that he was trying to figure out how God was going to come out in this.
And that's a fascinating approach that just recently, you know, with the discussion that we've had, is helpful to me. to listen not just for Answers, so to speak, but actually to listen so that I can sense where God is. Yeah. Yeah, I think that is is so valuable because So often when we're listening to God, Uh we're doing so when we're reading scripture. And We're almost always immediately applying that to our lives, and what am I supposed to be?
hearing in this moment. And We hear God, no doubt, under the word of God. I mean, we have to go there daily and be in it daily. But I think there are also times where we just have to quiet our hearts and minds. you know, after we've been in the Word of God and say, Lord, you explain this to me.
You know you help me to To to gain and glean what I need to. from this passage that I've just read. um you know from these circumstances in my life and i It's often when we go there That real progress happens. Because You know, we're seeking God's heart. Heart.
And you know what scripture says about people after God's own heart? You know, He blesses them every time. Yeah, it it's an opportunity and like in any relationship. it starts out at some level of looking out for the other person. And in this case, the other person's God.
It's kinda crazy, but that's it. Yeah. Yeah, and it really is that simple. you know, instead of that what have you done for me lately? It's a good question.
You know, not just what have I done for you, but. But Do I care? Oh wow. Yeah, it's m it's my heart There. With you.
Yeah, it is a wow, isn't it? Because so often We're so caught up in ourselves. I mean, I I have to admit it. That is so powerful because for years I've thought about that JFK quote. My mother loved it.
You know, ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country can do. I mean, ask not, yeah, but what you can do for your country. That one. But I hadn't even thought about ask not what God can do for me, but do I even care what I can do for God? Or how God feels about a situation, then that's at the heart of it, James, is actually.
How much do I care about God? And I think that's a great place to start with a prayer, you know, to say, Lord, I realize I'm not where I need to be. with this. But would you help me? Would would you help me have a heart for you more?
And I think as we go there, Uh step by step. You know, he'll lead us. That's a great place to pray now that you think about it.
So, Lord. Oh, wow. It is a wow, Lord, to see how I've fallen so short in this idea. Lord, give us compassion for you. Help us to.
Listen and help us to go there, and help us to be your friends and your allies. Uh lord. We pray that you would help us to remember this as we pray, spend time with you, that we do give you time and that we give you ears to hear. Oh, Lord, help us to be... your friends.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen? Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website. JamesBanks.org or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina.
May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
