Prayer Is A Conversation
We are winding down with our devotionals from Pastor Wayne Cockrell! Make no mistake-these devotionals are meaty morsels written to fortify you for your day's journey! Be encouraged, Church Family!
SCRIPTURE: Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22 Therefore You are great, [a]O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God. 25 “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”
2 Samuel 7:18-29
2 Samuel 7:18-29
Is your prayer life a monologue, one way from you to God, or are they a dialogue, meaning a back and forth between us and God? Most of us will concede that prayer is at its core communication with God. For some it can be seen as mechanical duty, or a one-way appeal simply talking to God. What measures the effectiveness of prayer is how deep is the roots of a person’s personal relationship with God. One of the highest levels of prayer can be when we integrate our Bible reading, studying, meditating and praying according to the Bible together and at the same time. Some do their Bible reading and study, but do not have their prayers to be guided by what God has said to them. Our current verses for devotion and meditation give us an example of what God says to us should direct what we say to God in our prayers. It is this praying responsively back to God at the same time we are reading God’s Word to us ensures that our prayers are Bible based and specifically directed to God.
Prayer should result from meeting God in His Word. We often lose sight that God and His Word are one. When He speaks to us through the reading or hearing of His Word He is interacting with us is the deepest matters of our heart. In fact Hebrews 4:12 says that His Word searches and discerns the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It is this deep interaction in us that should provoke specific responses back to Him. Also, God is not only interacting with us on our deepest levels, but God through His Word is His investment of Himself in us to produce what He wants from us. The Bible is His verbal actions toward us to effect in us the challenge that should make us change in our attitude, actions and our articulation outwardly according to what He has invested in us inwardly. God has said to us through the prophet Isaiah 55:10, 11, “My Word goes forth from my mouth; it will not return to Me void (empty),without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
Prayer should come from immersion of ourselves in God’s Word. Our God talk to God should be God talk from God. How we hear God affects how we speak to Him. It was God who spoke to us first, (Romans 10:17) reminds us,” that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” So the language to speak to God has been first spoken to us. Also, the language to speak back to God is learned by us through hearing God as He speaks to us. That is why our Lord Jesus said,”...take heed how you hear…” (Luke 8:18). Prayer according to the Word comes when we truly hear it and interact with it as we are reading it. This way God Himself ultimately is the source of Prayer and His Word to us provides the rich resources of words that equip to us to please Him when we do pray.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please continue to train us to pray acceptably to You as we come boldly to Your throne of grace. The Word that You speak to us first gives inspiration to our hearts and it enables to know You, the true God and our Savior the Lord Jesus who is at the right hand making intercession for us (Romans 8:34). In Jesus Name, amen and amen.
By Pastor Wayne Cockrell
Prayer should result from meeting God in His Word. We often lose sight that God and His Word are one. When He speaks to us through the reading or hearing of His Word He is interacting with us is the deepest matters of our heart. In fact Hebrews 4:12 says that His Word searches and discerns the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It is this deep interaction in us that should provoke specific responses back to Him. Also, God is not only interacting with us on our deepest levels, but God through His Word is His investment of Himself in us to produce what He wants from us. The Bible is His verbal actions toward us to effect in us the challenge that should make us change in our attitude, actions and our articulation outwardly according to what He has invested in us inwardly. God has said to us through the prophet Isaiah 55:10, 11, “My Word goes forth from my mouth; it will not return to Me void (empty),without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
Prayer should come from immersion of ourselves in God’s Word. Our God talk to God should be God talk from God. How we hear God affects how we speak to Him. It was God who spoke to us first, (Romans 10:17) reminds us,” that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” So the language to speak to God has been first spoken to us. Also, the language to speak back to God is learned by us through hearing God as He speaks to us. That is why our Lord Jesus said,”...take heed how you hear…” (Luke 8:18). Prayer according to the Word comes when we truly hear it and interact with it as we are reading it. This way God Himself ultimately is the source of Prayer and His Word to us provides the rich resources of words that equip to us to please Him when we do pray.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please continue to train us to pray acceptably to You as we come boldly to Your throne of grace. The Word that You speak to us first gives inspiration to our hearts and it enables to know You, the true God and our Savior the Lord Jesus who is at the right hand making intercession for us (Romans 8:34). In Jesus Name, amen and amen.
By Pastor Wayne Cockrell
Archive
2024
January
Gratitude Mixed with Faith Should Equal ObedienceGrace Comes In God’s TimingGOD USES WHOM HE CHOOSESSeeing What God Sees to Get What God HasA Life Verse That Is Good for Every YearSeeing Things as God Sees ThemThree QuestionsDon’t Worry About the FutureForgiveness Is Our Daily CelebrationPeace When We Do RightGod’s True Children Certainly Should KnowRegret In Missed OpportunitiesThe Attitude of Delight Is RightMeditation Deprivation Is EvidentARE YOU A DISCIPLE OR JUST A CONVERT?An Anchored Soul Won’t QuitGod Wants to Be BelievedFinding God in Our PainI Must Be About God’s WordWhat the Wondrous Word of God Can Do in a Willing ServantSeeing Things God’s WayGetting Along for Jesus SakeMeditating Brings Us Success In The Christian LifeThe State of Mind That Pleases GodPraised By the RaisedHaving the Right Knowledge for Real FaithWhose Mind Do You Think With?All My Heart & All My WaysWise with the Lord’s TimeNo Shame About What God Has SaidPrayer Is A Conversation
February
DEEP ARMOR FOR THE STEEP CLIMBDressed in the Whole Armor of God for Spiritual WarfareGRAB THAT ARMORSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER WITH PASTOR WAYNE COCKRELLIn My Dressing Room (Putting on the Armor of God)Armored for Any WeatherTruth is Foundation for Our FaithA Work in Progress and A Mouth in TrainingREJECTION OF GOSSIP, SLANDER, LIES, AND DISCORD: THE PERFECTING OF 'FEBRUARY'THE DETESTABLESSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER WITH PASTOR WAYNE COCKRELLIf the Lord Hates It, We Should TooThe Offense Ward of the Sin HospitalSpilling the TeaWe are in ChristLet us Do BetterSpread Love, Not GossipSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER WITH PASTOR WAYNE COCKRELLThe GREATEST THRILL: Being SPIRIT - FilledTHE HOLY SPIRIT'S CONTROLA Drunken SpiritLookin’ Like Our DaddyFermented or Fresh; How is Your Fruit?We Have it AllSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER WITH PASTOR WAYNE COCKRELLJESUS’ LOVE MANDATEHIS Walk, Our Hopethe greatest gift of allTo Love Like Christ
March
LOVE x LOVELove is CommitmentSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor CockrellTHE HIGHEST DEBT OF LOVEPREVAILING IN LOVE, AND IN THE LIGHT OF THE PROMISEReturn Your Love to METhe Loveless ChurchWhat Do You Want First: the Good News or the Bad News?POSITIVE FRICTION THAT MAKES US BETTERSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne CockrellHis Love Versus My FearsJESUS LOVES YOUBe Surrendered to 'Love'Victory Over Fear: Life’s Small LessonsJesus, Our VictoryTRUST CHRIST, BANISH FEARSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne CockrellHarmony and Discord Aren’t FriendsHOLY PARAMETERSBlinded by HateACT or REACTRESISTING ANGER AND HATE IN CONFLICTPeculiar PeopleSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne CockrellONWARD & UPWARDHow To Fall ForwardThe Front Windshield is Much Bigger than the Rearview MirrorONE THING TO DOLooking Back Will Have You SaltyGreat Cloud of WitnessesSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne Cockrell
5 Comments
Lord, grateful that we belong to You! As we navigate through this life help our delight in Your Word cause us to know ALL (the direction, instruction,etc.) we have in You, Jesus!!
Thank you Lord for making a way for me to come boldly to you. Thank you for your word. Thank you Pastor for your labor of love for the word of God. Amen.
Thank You Lord for teaching us how to experience You through Your love letter- the BIBLE!!.
Excellent ending and exhortation to fill ourselves with God's Word and to pray according to It. Thanks for these 31Days of Devotionals, Pastor.
May the inclination of our conversatin' be increasingly holy, and wholly of Thine.