Prayer is a lot more than just talking to God. When Paul says to 'pray without ceasing,' he does not mean to become a motor mouth. Prayer is connecting with God, and allowing him to live through us.
To me, prayer is CONNECTION with God, which is how I’ve come to view communication. Jesus says to abide in him like the branch abides in the vine (John 15:1-5). So I view prayer as an unbroken spiritual relationship with God, in which he works through us to accomplish his ways in the earth (Gal 2:20, Phil 1:6).
In a sense, to me, prayer is simply ‘hanging out with God.’ We can do this at anytime of the day, in anything we are doing. It’s merely a matter of attitude and consciousness. Prayer is communion with God in recognition of the body and blood of Jesus. It’s worship for what God did for us 2,000 years ago on the cross of Christ. It’s also worship for what he’s done in me — last week, and today. Prayer is even worshipping God for the revelation he gives us when we ask him to. Paul calls it ‘the abundance of revelation’ in the gospel. Prayer is practicing the presence of God.
The more I come to know God, and trust him, the less I pray — at least in the conventional, traditional sense of ‘talking to him.’ This doesn’t mean I DON’T talk to him. I just talk to him less than I used to. But I hang out with him, and I connect with him a lot more than I used to. I hear from him a lot more than I used to, because now I’m not so busy talking.
Paul talks of knowing WHOM he believes (I Tim 1:12). Most of us are too focused on WHAT we believe to have much time to worry about WHOM we believe. The prayers of most Christians are focused on themselves, or on others, — not on God. I’ve just come to see things a little differently. Focusing on WHOM I believe produces TRUST in me at greater depths. As trust grows deeper, the need for me to pray in the traditional sense (talk to God and tell him things) is much less. This produces a lot more time just to ‘fellowship with God in his glorious gospel’ — the finished work of Christ for me (Phil 1:5). It allows me opportunity to be more 'childlike,' and treat God like my 'Abba Father,' instead of like a benefactor I feel I must influence to get my desires fulfilled.16-17). The gospel enables us to live life as God intends, and allows him finish the good work he has begun in us.
We Reign In Life By Receiving From God
Receiving all of God's good things is one of the great mysteries of living a victorious gospel life. God even gives us the Holy Spirit to show us all the good things we have from God (I Cor 2:12). No wonder Jesus says his way is easy and his burden is light (Matt 11:28-30).Because Jesus Is, I Am
When we learn to think like God does, everything looks different. The purpose of the gospel is to transform our thinking, and allow us to see things from God's perspective. This is why the gospel is a revelation (Rom 1:17) -- an empowering revelation of spiritual reality!Do You Live A McDonald's "McChurchianity" Type of Life?
Live life in the power of the finished work of the cross of Christ! Allow God to finish the good work he has begun in you! The gospel is the power of God in you that enables you to live life better by accident than you ever could on purpose!