"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13)
Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. That is why Jesus said, "When ye pray say, our Father which art in Heaven..." He is God to the whole world but He is 'Father' to us. So, we are in relationship with God and the livewire of every relationship is communication. For instance, no matter how much you love your spouse, if there is no communication between the two of you, your relationship is likely to die off. Relationship thrives on communication. And as Christians, we communicate with God through prayer. Prayer is our medium of communication.
However, you will agree with me that the genuineness of any communication is determined by the extent to which the hearts of the individuals are involved, otherwise whatever the mouth says would not be taken serious. This is why many believers pray and it doesn't go anywhere, because there is no heart connection.
God places much emphasis on the heart of man because that is the 'engine room' of his life. Even physically speaking, once the heart stops beating, the man is dead. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34). Everything that comes out of the mouth is first processed in the heart. A man can disguise his appearance and even pretentiously say the right words to please his hearers but he cannot disguise his heart. So, in prayer, it is the heart before utterance. God sees your heart before He hears your voice. "...For the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Sam 16:7).
Access to God demands all of your heart not all of your shouts or all of your cries. He said, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). Whenever you are in prayer, before you speak, ensure that your heart is connected because prayer without the heart is no prayer.
Stay above...always.
Yours & His,
Angela |
