A lot of the work I have been doing for many years now has been the remote and online variety. I work with people who are thousands of miles away. Sometimes it's difficult to establish trust when you feel like you're talking to an email address.
One of the ways that help bridge the gap is bringing as much human interaction as possible through Skype calls, online chats or, if possible, even occasional face-to-face meet-ups. It helps because it reminds you that there's really another person on the opposite line.
Our prayer life is in no way any different. We're in this seemingly "long distance" relationship with a God who does not technically co-exist with us in this world, but can really make Himself present if we are willing to experience Him.
So much of prayer life can become no more than talking to thin air sometimes. But that misconception can be broken when we hold on to one simple yet profound truth—that there is someone on the opposite line.
The biggest lie about prayer is that God does not hear them. Isaiah 59:1 reminds us, "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear."
God can hear us when we pray. Prayer is a conversation before it is a ritual. Jesus makes that clear when He taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." (Matthew 6:9)
Not only do we pray to an existent Being on the opposite line, we also talk with a Being whom we now have a relationship with through the finished work of Christ.
When our Saviour gave His life up on the cross for the atonement of our sins, the veil that separated the temple courts from the holy of holies—which is said to be the only place on earth where God's presence dwelt—was torn. This meant that we can now approach God with the confidence that He is not some uninvolved cosmic force but a Father who loves us and loves to commune with us.
Prayer is not just tradition or empty words spoken up to heaven. It is a relational interaction between us and a God who wants us to "taste and see" that He is good. (Psalm 34:8) When we come to this realisation and live it out consistently, we will boost our prayer life by a whole lot and value it more and more.
How do you view your prayer life today? Is it simply compliance to religious duty? Or is it a meaningful and intimate conversation with a Father on the opposite line?
