Enjoying God When You Pray

This is Stu Epperson from the Truth Talk Podcast, connecting current events, pop culture, and theology, and we're so grateful for you that you've chosen the Truth Podcast Network.

It's about to start in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, and please share it around with all your friends. Thanks for listening, and thanks for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. Anytime 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 we're going to talk about enjoying God when you pray. And James, you were telling me that it's more important for our walk with Him that we might sometimes think.

Yeah, that's right. It's absolutely crucial, Robby. If we don't enjoy God when we pray, then how are we going to be able to draw close? How are we going to be able to keep praying as we go through the day? Just think about how easily we can compartmentalize our lives.

We have church on Sunday, and then there's every other day of the week where we do the practical stuff. And I know it's a common topic, you know, that we separate life with God all too easily, but just think about it. Just think about the term prayer life. You know, your prayer life should be your whole life, and vice versa. We should never separate prayer from life.

It matters too much. And the beautiful thing is God wants us to enjoy Him when we pray. I know what you mean, and I totally agree, but let's talk about that last part just a little bit more. I mean, what do you say to the person who insists prayer is a discipline?

Well, it can be sometimes, but if that's all there is to it, then I'd say we're missing something, you know? The Westminster thinkers really got this right when they wrote that our chief end is to glorify God, and that means to live for Him and enjoy Him forever. So, you know, prayer is all wrapped up in that.

Now, keep in mind that a lot of these guys who wrote that were Puritans, and we always think of Puritans as these humorless people, but they weren't that way, and this shows us that. You know, our purpose is to enjoy God, and what a great question to ask ourselves. Do I enjoy being with God, just spending time with my Abba Father?

Do I love Him like that? Oh yeah, that's so good, but if we're not, it's often a good sign that something is wrong. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Just think about some of the terms we use for being with God. They can sound so formal, you know? Fellowship, communion, intercession, they sound so formal, and it seems to me that was the very thing Jesus was against when it came to prayer. In Mark 1240, he's critical of the teachers of the law who like to walk around in flowing robes and make lengthy prayers, you know, using words like fellowship. That's true, and he also told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, right? The one makes this grand prayer, but the other one can hardly lift his eyes, and Jesus said, now that was a prayer God heard. Yeah, yeah, and that raises this important point. Some people equate enjoying God's presence with being irreverent, but it's not that at all.

It's the very opposite. It's being real, and when you learn to enjoy God, it's like you're starting to savor Him, to know Him more. It involves thinking about how good He is, His kindness to you, the way He's taken care of you, His attributes. Yeah, I mean, that makes me think of Psalm 103, you know, bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

Yeah, that's it. You know, some translations have praise the Lord, O my soul, but I think that word bless brings something to it as well, because it's personal. You know, you don't bless something so much. You bless someone. You praise something, you know, but blessing implies more of an interaction between two people, and I think that's at the heart of what it means to be a believer in Jesus, and the reason behind the incarnation and the cross and the empty tomb so that we could draw close to God and be His very own. Oh, that's the beautiful thing, isn't it? You know, that we get to do that, and we talked about the opposite of this before, which is when Jesus said in the parable, right, I never knew you. So really, we have to make this personal. Yeah, we do. I mean, that's everything.

It's what God wants from us, and it helps us open our lives to Him and give Him everything, because that's what He's really after. And it means we can be little kids with Him. I love what Steve Brown, whom I want to be like when I grow up, wrote about this. He said, it's easier to hug a dirty kid than it is to hug a stiff kid. And he talked about, you know, a little kid who's been playing in the mud, holding out his arms to you, and of course you're going to hug him. That's what a loving parent would do.

But a stiff kid doesn't want to be hugged at all. And, Robbie, I've got to say, one of the things I love about you when it comes to prayer is you're not a stiff kid. Thanks, I think. Well, no, I mean, sometimes when we talk about prayer, you mentioned, you know, being with God in the most down-to-earth ways, like climbing up into Abba Father's lap for a hug in the morning, and it shows me that you really do enjoy Him. So let me just ask, how have you been enjoying Him lately? Well, since you ask, I have lately started burning incense, you know, on top of charcoal in my time in the morning. And then I love to watch how, literally, I think it's the lifeblood of the tree, you know, like a frankincense tree that has turned into, that sap has turned into the incense, right? And as it burns, it swirls up to God. And so as it begins to swirl, I ask the Holy Spirit to take me on that trip. Well, you know, and that's a neat analogy for prayer. I mean, prayer, Scripture uses that analogy in the Revelation, that, you know, prayers are the incense of God, you know, in His presence. And, you know, sometimes prayer may feel like a discipline when we start, when we sort of work on enjoying God, but that builds momentum, and I'd say it becomes easier over time, wouldn't you?

Oh, my. And so much fun. I mean, you know, the reason why it ceases to become a discipline when you're just looking forward to it, like, man, I can hardly wait till I get to go do this. You know, it's like, I have no trouble getting up in the morning to go fishing.

I used to have trouble getting up in the morning to do my prayers and all that stuff. But when you're having more fun than when you're going fishing, then, okay, now we're… That's even better. That's even better. Oh, man, thank you. You know, that's so helpful, I think, for me and for our listeners. Would you close us out with prayer, Robbie?

Oh, absolutely. Jesus, thank you, thank you, thank you for this wonderful insight and the idea that we do get to enjoy you forever. And so, Lord, teach us more how to do that. Help us to ask that in prayer.

Like, God, show me how I can truly enjoy you and look forward to it like that. And, Lord, we just thank you so much for James and encouraging prayer. 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.