We don’t often pray just to say hi to God.
I mean how many times have you said something like “Hi God , it’s John, how’s ya day been.”
It just isn’t done. What about “Hi God, it’s John, just want to know how much I appreciate you loving me.” Ok a bit more often maybe, but still not real common. I remember riding my bike once early in the morning and I came over a hill and the mist was still there and the sun was just up and it was excellent. My first reaction was wow, my next reaction was thanks God for today and the guy training with me said “what are you going on about.” So I got to talk to him about how good God’s creation is. He thought I was a looney. 1. Sometimes prayer is just being with God. PS 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Ever notice that when we are busy, we leave God out. Here we have a tool to stay close to God. Be still occasionally. Give time to reflection. When you are friends with people, you want to spend time with them, yet in our relationships to God we spend very little actual time. One thing that comes out of the national Church Life Survey is that people spend very little time with God. Our church is above average. Many people spend time with God daily BUT how much time. Marianne and I do a bible reading each night and pray together. Probably 15 minutes, we also read from a devotional calendar each morning. 2 Minutes possibly. We both do other stuff as well. That comes to less than ½ an hour. Sure I spend a heap of time on sermons. That’s my job. That is to my advantage. What would I do if I didn’t do this job. That has been fairly confronting for me this week.The average christian comes to church once a week, maybe goes to a bible study and sometimes does daily devotions. A max of 3 ½ hours. I spend more time watching the news each week. Mostly one movie is longer if you add the commercials. I think it is some time for a reality check about our relationship status to God. How serious are we. Let’s find time to be still, let’s find time to spend time with God. Maybe we need to make some strategies here. That’s where the next point comes in. 2. Sometimes prayer is just taking in what God does. PS 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. PS 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. PS 19:3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. PS 19:4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, PS 19:5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. PS 19:6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. Doesn’t that make you go “oh yeh.”Doesn’t looking at what God does in creation and maintaining the world make you go awe. You know why being in awe is the word awe don’t you. Being in awe makes you go AWWWEEEE. The God who wants us to spend time with Him made all this stuff. The sun the sky, the heavens the earth. Doesn’t that just spin you out. He wants to know me. He wants me to spend time with Him. He wants me to look at what he does and do an evaluation. That’s what this Psalm says . “Take a look and see what God does” Make an evaluation – Good isnt it. Maybe that is one way of making time for God. Making time to get out and appreciate what he has made. 3. Sometimes prayer is remembering what God has done. PS 77:11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. What have we got to remember? The history in the bible. Amazing things, Church History – amazing things. Our own life – amazing things But Also Jesus death and resurrection. We remember through communion by re-enacting the scene. Prayer can also be active. Worship is active, we sing , clap, some raise hands, some kneel, we do worship. We need to do our prayer. One of my favourite Psalms is Psalm 107. It repeats this statement a number of times.PS 107:8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, In other words remember what God has done for us, remember what Jesus has done for us. And be thankful. The word for Communion in some churches is Eucharist. It comes from the Greek word for give thanks – eucaristew eucharisteo. Communion is giving thanks to God for what he has done. So lets give thanks to God for his unfailing love.
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