Worship God.
—Revelation 22:9
Those who have read the previous section on the secret of intercession have undoubtedly asked more than once, “What is the reason that prayer and intercession are not a greater joy and delight to Christians? Is there any way in which we may be more inclined to make fellowship with God our chief joy, and as intercessors to bring down His power and blessing on those for whom we pray?”
The chief answer is undoubtedly: we know God too little. In our prayers, our hearts are not set primarily on waiting for His presence. It should be so. We think mostly of ourselves, our needs and weaknesses, our desires and prayers. But we forget that, in every prayer, God must be first, He must be all. To seek Him, to find Him, to wait in His presence, to be assured that His presence rests upon us, that He actually listens to what we say and is working in us—this alone gives the inspiration that makes prayer as natural to us as the fellowship of a child with his father.
How is one to reach this nearness to God and fellowship with Him? The answer is simple: we must give God time to make Himself known to us. Believe with all your heart that, just as you present yourself to God in prayer, so God presents Himself to you as the Hearer of prayer. But you cannot realize this unless you give Him time and quiet. It is not the volume or the earnestness of your words in which prayer has its power, but in the living faith that God Himself is taking you and your prayer into His loving heart. He Himself will give the assurance that, in His time, your prayer will be heard.
The purpose of this month is to help you to know the way to meet God in every prayer. In it, I will give you Scriptures with which your heart can bow before God, waiting on Him to make them living and true in your experience.
Begin today with this verse: “Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul” (Psalm 25:1). Bow before Him in stillness, believing that He looks on you and will reveal His presence.
“My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:2).