Petition and Participation
Last week I spoke on the concept of abiding and adoration of God, at the end of the service I reminded everyone of a challenge I gave earlier in the year, of taking time this last week and not asking God for anything. Just seeking to be in His presence and abide in Him. Well, how is that going? Has it been helpful in cultivating a stronger relationship, is it aligning your heart and mind to His? Hopefully, it’s helping you see what the relationship could be like when we go before Him just seeking His presence or as King David put it, “…to gaze upon His beauty.”
Alright, I hope you’re ready to now go before God next week and ask for everything!!! Well, maybe not that dramatic, but we will be talking about what it is to bring our requests, or petitions before God, shifting our reliance from ourselves to Him, even for the most fundamental need, bread. What does it look like to put ALL your requests before God? Is there anything too small, trivial, or mundane to bother the almighty creator of the universe with? Why does He ask us to present our basic needs to Him in prayer when He already knows them? Finally, what does our participation in prayer look like. Are we active, are we passive, or somewhere in the middle?
That’s a lot of questions, and I hope to answer them as the Holy Spirit gives me ability this weekend. I pray the Lord will continue to strengthen your relationship with Him and lead you on paths of righteousness.
See you Sunday,
Nathan Bentley