“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)
Every show began with the same opening: “The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. This is the city. Los Angeles, California. I work here…I carry a badge.” These are the immortal words of Sergeant Joe Friday, the fictional detective of the Dragnet series first presented on radio, then on TV, and later at the movies. While conducting interviews with his partner – Friday displayed limited patience with the emotional rambling of some of their witnesses. Whenever he had enough of their wordiness, he would look at the person and say – “Just the facts, ma’am.”
There are those who have contemplated whether we should be more direct in our prayers? In Matthew 6: 7, we find this passage: “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” One wonders if the facts alone are sufficient when it comes to fulfilling our faith journey. In the past few years, I have become friends with a gentleman who was a Veteran of World War II. Through his time of serving and now in his nineties, he has encountered many physical ailments and life-threatening situations. Recently he told me that while he practices Christianity and lifts up others in prayer, he claims to have never prayed for himself. He says he tries to live a good life and believes that in doing so, God knows what he needs and will provide. Now that’s the bare-boned facts, to be sure, but I believe his personal doctrine is a little awry from what is contained in God’s Word. I doubt if the prayer God rejects is the one you pray for yourself. I would rather think that it’s the one you pray with a heart full of arrogance and conceit that He will not hear. He doesn’t want us to be full of our self but instead be filled with Him.
While there are those who may feel it is selfish to pray for oneself or that they are unworthy of God’s attention, scripture reveals that He wants us to engage in a deep personal relationship with Him. One way to have that experience is through an active prayer life. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me” (Psalm 50:15). Jesus encourages us to simply ask. While others rebuked a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus from bothering Jesus with his words for mercy, he persisted in his plea (Mark10:46-52). Jesus asked the man for specifics of what it was he needed. Of course, the obvious was that he wanted to see. With all we have come to know about Jesus, we can be assured that He already knew that. However, the man’s sight was immediately restored not because of his many words but because of his faith. God longs for us to come into His presence. In doing so, we acknowledge our dependence on Him as the source of our strength and healing.
It would seem, fellow sojourners, that our true connections with God increase through prayer, the study of His Word, and participation in worship. Each of these have both a cognitive and an emotional component. The head compiles the thought processes with the understanding that God knows all that we need, everything that is going on in our life, and can predict what we will say even before we attempt to put it into words. It’s the truth of the matter; just the facts. But our relationship with Him is not complete without the heart element during which we articulate our feelings and rejoice in all He has provided. These fulfill the spiritual connection and affirm our faith. Remember Jesus understood the facts – he knew that Bartimaeus wanted to see. But it was through the blind man’s passion and total reliance on Him that the healing occurred. We are encouraged to “Give your burdens to the Lord. He will not permit the Godly to slip nor fall” (Psalm 55:22). So, in spirit and in truth, give whatever weight you are carrying to Him . . . He longs to replace it with a blessing.
REFLECTION: How does God’s truth free you from feelings of insecurity and inadequacy? In what ways can the release of emotions help you develop a stronger spiritual connection? When you allow yourself to fellowship with the Lord in spirit and in truth, do you feel more complete in your relationship with Him?
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