Mentoring Men for the Master

HOW TO HAVE A MEANINGFUL TIME WITH GOD DAILY

The only remaining part of the Temple in Jerusalem is the “Wailing Wall.”  Orthodox Jews go daily to this Wall to offer up prayers to God.  I did the same myself on my first visit to Jerusalem 50 years ago.  I read of one man who went to the Wall every day for fifty years.  When asked by a reporter, “Did you to the Wall every day and did you pray every day?”  “Yes,” he replied.  “And what did you pray?”  He answered, “I prayed for three things:

  1. that Israel might be preserved,
  2. that Jerusalem would prosper,
  3. and that God would protect the Jews.”

The reporter than asked, “What were the results of your praying?” to which he replied, “As far as I could tell I was just praying to the Wall.”

Question:  When you pray, do you think you are just praying to the Wall?   If so, keep on reading.

If you would have a Meaningful time with God daily, just begin doing what Jesus commands in the first line of the Lord’s prayer, “Pray, Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed by Your name.  Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  What is Jesus commanding in these words?  He is commanding us to begin our prayers by focusing entirely on our Heavenly Father.

Note:  No one ever called God “Father” prior to Jesus – not Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.  No Muslim would ever call Allah “Father.”  Our focus on our “Father” should be 3-fold, according to Jesus:

Focus on who Your Father is:

    1. He is your personal Father (my Father)
    2. This means you are His child (if born again)
    3. You can talk to Him more intimately than to your earthly father
    4. You can know He delights to hear from you.
    5. And that He is far more eager to meet your needs than the best earthly father who ever lived.  “If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.”  (Matthew 7:11).

Focus on Where Your Father is:  in Heaven

    1. This means He is the absolute ruler of this universe
    2. All provisions and power are in His hand.
    3. He is able to meet every and any need.
    4. His highest delight is to meet your needs and is able to do exceeding abundantly above any thing you could ask or think.” (Ephes. 3:20).