The Courage to Pray - Part1

The other day I read a post at my favorite blog, The Blazing Center written by Mark and Stephen Altrogge. The name of this post was The Courage to Pray. In the post, Mark discussed various scriptural reasons that he, as a mere human, had the courage to pray to God, the creator and sustainer of the universe. As usual, it was a well written post and I encourage you to read it. Don't worry, its short; it will only take you a matter of minutes to read.

Although I enjoyed the post, Mark left out the main reason that I personally have the courage to pray. He invited readers to leave comments sharing other reasons but I chose to share with you instead. :)

Have you ever thought of prayer this way? Have you ever decided not to pray because surely God had so many better things He could be doing instead of listening to you? Have you ever prayed in a timid, worried manner because, well, He was God and you are...well, not? I have. Thankfully, I have been well taught and I know that this thinking is at its very root erroneous and based in either an incomplete knowledge of our 'status' as Christians or in an unbelief that this status is real in a practical way. But it can still at times be a struggle.

So why do I have the ability to go to God in prayer and know that he will hear me? Simply put: because of Jesus' death and resurrection. When I was saved I was justified - I was covered in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ and from that moment on whenever God looks at me, He sees His Son. And God has great love for His Son. I know that when I come in the name of Jesus to approach the throne room of God I will gain immediate access. I will be listened to as a favored child. And I have this all because of the blood of Jesus, because of His work on the cross.

The next time you hear someone end their prayer "In Jesus' Name, Amen" don't view it as a simple catch phrase, the popular way to end a prayer. Instead, take the opportunity to thank God for His salvation and to remember that you truly are going to the Father in the name of the Son.

Next week, Lord willing, I am going to address the specific points of Mark's post and make some observations on them in general.