Habit of Grace #2: Having God's Ear
...I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:2

God is listening. Are you talking?

C. S. Lewis so wisely noted, “Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of prayer; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine.”

In Matthew 6, Jesus told His disciples to "pray then like this:"

The Lord's Prayer is a perfect example of how to pray. But remember, Jesus just told the disciples in verses 7-8 not to repeat the same words over and over. Reciting this prayer does not take the place of heart-felt conversations with your heavenly Father. Jesus' words give us the type of things that God will honor in your prayers. I'll give a short explanation for each sentence.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

By praying, “hallowed be your name,” we make God’s holiness our highest priority and ask Him to promote His glory in, around, and through us. This is our purpose for existence!

Jesus’ model for prayer places God’s purposes as the highest priority of our requests. This does not rule out prayers for our concerns but places them in proper order—secondary to His.

This shows our complete dependence upon God. Even the richest person in the world ultimately depends upon God's ability to sustain creation so they can have food to eat. When we pray for our daily bread, we are acknowledging God as our source and all physical needs must be met by Him. His provision literally empowers our ability to live for His purposes.

In order to enjoy fellowship with God, the barrier of our sins must be removed by His forgiveness. Yes, all of God's children have been judicially forgiven (see Romans 12:10) but this is relational forgiveness. Just like you need daily bread, you need daily confession of sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your wretchedness and confess your sins to Him.

Paul Tripp writes, "To the degree that you forget the grace that you have been given, to that same degree it is easier for you not to extend grace to others. It is and always has been true that no one gives grace better than a person who is deeply persuaded that he needs it himself and that it has been graciously supplied by a God of tender mercy. He gives what we never could have earned; why, then, do we turn and refuse to give until others have measured up to whatever standard we hold them to?" If you remember this truth and pray heartfelt prayers of confession often, it will truly change your relationships!

Steven Cole gets to the heart of this request when he writes, "This is an acknowledgment of the weakness and sinfulness of our hearts. It is an admission that if God were to withdraw His gracious hand, we would fall into sin immediately. It is an attitude that flees temptation rather than sees how close to the brink we can come. It has been paraphrased as, 'Lord, if the occasion of sinning presents itself, grant that the desire may not be found in me; if the desire is there, grant that the occasion may not present itself.'"