I am using the New King James Version for all quoted scriptures. And we offer God all the credit, for whatever is good.
Recently, I got the idea that people can use prayer to try to get God to answer to us. And ones arguing against Christianity can have a way of dictating how God must answer to them.
Now, I am thinking that in prayer I need to first answer to God. And we have Philippians 2:13 >
"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
Well, if this means God in us "works" our willing and our doing, wouldn't this include how we pray and what we pray? And if God is the One to work me in my praying, then I would think this means my prayer is submissive to God, and so I am not trying to get God to answer to me. But not only am I answering to God, in prayer, but I need to constantly stay submissive to Him so I am praying exactly all He pleases. And it is written >
"Therefore submit to God." (in James 4:7)
This means I always have something good to do, then, I would say. Every moment, if I am submitting to God, He is going to have me doing what is good, after all.
So - - - in His peace, this means . . . in His perfect peace He has us doing what is good. He creates, with us.
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
Right now . . . this is God's miracle, to do in us. This depends on how spiritual God is. So, any of us, right now, can be submissive to God in His own peace . . . how He works in us so we do this . . . with Him and each other > "in one body" < this is for all of us who are in Jesus; plus, anyone not a Christian is called to this >
"'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:28-29)
Therefore, Jesus calls to "all" to have "rest for your souls" with Jesus. And then He creates the good that can make a real difference, that we can do with Him. And this will be in His "rest for your souls" . . . not in workaholic and self-righteous dictating with stress and frustration and bitterness and unforgiveness. But Jesus in us is "gentle and lowly in heart" in His love with His emotions and drives which are gentle and humble and soul-soothing; because with Jesus we have His love kindly caressing us tenderly and having us be compassionate even with wrong people.
So, in prayer, then, we are seeking God to kindly help even the worst and most impossible people. Because it is possible with God to change any evil person into His way of loving. And so, in prayer we need to answer to God, by praying with hope of love *for* any and all people; because love "hopes all things", we have in 1 Corinthians 13:7. And our prayer needs to be in God's love >
"But you, my beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 20-21)
So, it looks like God does want us to pray "in the Holy Spirit", which I think means to pray the way the Holy Spirit has us praying > in submission, then, to the Holy Spirit. And with praying in the Holy Spirit, this keeps us in God's own love, since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God's own love >
"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
So, yes, a basic of Christianity is how God is sharing His own love with us, "in our hearts". And God's love is Heaven's love, right? Isn't this theo-logical? And so, right now we can be experiencing . . . sampling . . . *how* Heaven is. And we can be sharing with all the other children of God who now are praying in the Holy Spirit > so, how can we be lonely and bored, while we are praying in sharing with God Himself and all our others who are obedient in the family of Jesus? I find that we can experience sharing with all our others who are submissive to God in prayer, while we are submissive to how the Holy Spirit has us praying.
And Romans 8:26 says >
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26)
So, how the Holy Spirit prays for us is "with groanings which cannot be uttered". There is communication of prayer, then, I would say, which is deeper than words. And do we not communicate deeper than words with each other humans, at times? So, this should not be too much of something new and strange. In love, there can be groaning, right? I see how the Holy Spirit in prayer groans with compassion for us, and groans with appreciation of our Heavenly Father, and groans with desire for us to be changed into the likeness of Jesus who is so loved by the Holy Spirit and our Father.
And we are told by Jude to pray in this Holy Spirit. And so, likewise we can pray even deeper than words can tell, with appreciation for our Father and affection for our Groom Jesus and concern and compassion for one another.
This is God's miracle; so we trust You to do this with us.
So now . . . instead of just going through this all, right now . . . I am stopping for a prayer break. And you might do this, too, so we can find how God gets us more with Him, now, before we continue. God bless you, too, in Jesus' name, amen.
