“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

some thoughts to encourage prayer and meditation.    Mary Newsom   

God created man in order to have a relationship with him for he created man in His image.   This does not mean that man looks like God but rather that he has the potential for all the qualities or properties of God.   It is God’s intention that we  should become like Him, loving our fellow human beings because we love God.    Jesus, the Son, was sent because of God’s love for his creation to make it possible for us to become like Him.

If we meditate on the implications of this then we of necessity think of those qualities of God that should be attained, not only the fruit of the Spirit (Galations 5:22-23) but holiness because that is God’s primary attribute from which His love and mercy flow. We must reply with “Show me Lord, and make it possible”.    This is of course where the Holy Spirit becomes central, for nothing can happen to change us except by and through the Holy Spirit.

Those in Charismatic Renewal have tried to influence the Church and have so often made a mess of it.    We shall never persuade others by talking, about it anymore than we can argue the logic of Christianity to an unbeliever.    It seems to me that we have been attempting to do “God’s work” for Him instead of allowing Him to do it through us and in us.    It comes back again to believing on Him,

So how can we acquire that faith?   

It is a free gift to those who know the Lord.   For we cannot believe Him unless we know Him, - His claims are quite outrageous to non-Christians.

So how do we get to know Him?

We have many images but only one God, three Persons but only One God, so where

can we start?

We might long to approach the throne room of God and sing “Holy, Holy, Holy, Heaven and Earth are full of thy glory”.      We need to be Holy to do that, but we have no need to envy Isaiah (see Isaiah 6) for it is possible through Jesus and the Cross.     We cannot take any sin, bitterness, resentment into the throne-room, it has to be left at the cross.

So let us think more of prayer for it is the means for developing our relationship with our MAJESTIC, LOVING, HOLY, MERCIFUL, FATHER,

with JESUS, our SHEPHERD, HUSBAND, FRIEND, our PROPHET, PRIEST and KING, with JESUS as SAVIOUR, and as the true INTERCESSOR at the right hand of the Father.

BUT it is the Holy Spirit within us who communicates with Jesus - this means that we become the place of prayer.  Is there need for words?

Can you echo Psalm 27:4, to find contentment just being able “to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD” ?

I expect to hear from God.    Listening needs training but the HOLY SPIRIT is a wonderful teacher.   He brings to mind verses of scripture, lines from a hymn and I eagerly look them up.  He encourages me to meditate and trust Him to give me understanding.   The joy of the LORD is my strength (Nehemiah:8:10) 

But is getting to know God any different from getting to know anyone?

Both need time and a desire.  But God led me to consider the purpose of prayer and gave me a wonderful analogy that is the purpose of marriage.

Consider the following. 

Purpose of marriage. (1662 B.C.P) Procreation of children Mutual companionship – union Avoidance of sin

Purpose of Prayer Answered petitions -  i.e. results Union with God Holiness

And rejoice in Ephesians 6:25-27  

^‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.’ (NRSV)

So rest in the Lord and He will do it.