PSALM 109:4 – In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.

THEME OF THE DAY. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER? Let’s start out with a question, not one describing the theme of today’s nugget, but related – “What is prayer?” Some will answer, “It is asking God for things and help.” This is true, but incomplete and not primary. Others will answer, “Talking to God” and this too is true, but also incomplete and not primary. Another response will be “Having fellowship with God.” And in its simplest definition, that is the primary purpose of prayer; fellowship with God, but what does that really mean? Let’s figure that out in two ways. First, an expanded and Biblical definition of prayer, then a Biblical definition of fellowship. The definition comes from a godly man named John Bunyan. We will recognize him as the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress. It is very good and comes from one who really knew close fellowship with the Lord. Bunyan writes, “Prayer is sincere, sensible (passionate), affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to His Word, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God.”

In evaluating Bunyan’s definition, we find all the elements in true prayer; asking God for things according to His will, reliance on the Spirit, acknowledging the need of Christ’s intercession and mediation, pleading the promises of God, and perhaps the most important aspect is the sincere transparency of pouring out one’s soul before God. Now, the definition of fellowship. In his book, The Crisis of Caring: Recovering the Meaning of True Fellowship, Jerry Bridges defines fellowship as . . . “to share together in a joint participation of relationship, partnership, intimate communication, and material things.” Pause for a moment and meditate on this definition of fellowship. It may be summarized as “a whole life sharing between individuals and groups of individuals that includes intimate communication, material goods, common desires and goals, and like-mindedness of heart and mind.” That my friends, is the primary reason why the Lord gave us prayer; for all those reasons that define fellowship with Him. And that leads us to an important soul-searching question . . . does that describe our prayer relationship with the living God?

The purpose of prayer is fellowship that fuels an intense desire to know, love, worship, and adore God. It is first and foremost relational, not formality with vain repetitions. And it is not heavily slanted toward getting things. Should we find our prayer lives tipped primarily toward asking God for help and things, we are dangerously close to making Him a “spiritual vending machine”; put our petition in the slot, push the desired product, and get the answer at the bottom. If this characterizes our prayer life, it will be mechanical, lifeless, and neglected. As for importance, relational prayer is the highest spiritual priority for a Christian and a church. And the place prayer holds in our lives gives us the clearest, most accurate, and certain evaluation of the current spiritual condition of our walk with the Lord Jesus. As goes our prayer closets so goes our intimacy with Christ. Prayer is the measurement of a Christian’s spirituality. It isn’t our service, profession, use of our talents and gifts, even our faithfulness to church that reveals spiritual maturity and intimacy with the Lord. It is our prayer lives. And a prayer life that is characterized by three things; Word-fed, an insatiable hunger for God, and uncompromised by the world and flesh. Yes, if we want an immediate assessment of where we are spiritually, go no further than our disciplined life of prayer; prayer that seeks the face of God to know and enjoy Him, unhurried and never sacrificed on the worldly altars of busyness. After all, that is the primary reason why God gave us prayer.

PRAYER: “Father, help me see prayer as it really is – the chief means of drawing near to You.”

QUOTE: “Nothing will reveal the health of our spiritual life like our prayer lives”