“A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.” I saw this on a church sign recently, and it made me think. I guess that’s always the intention of church signs, so it worked, at least on one level.
But what does it mean? Does it mean that if I pray well and often, then I will be able to stand up to life’s tests? That might be the message of the sign, in which case, I’m OK with that. Prayer connects us to the Almighty God, who is more than able to sustain us in dark and difficult times. Prayer by itself is just words, but it taps into a source of strength that carries us. You can talk to your heavenly Dad about the things in your life. That’s good news.
This is true, but is this what the church sign was trying to say? To me, it sounds as if the more you pray, the better you are before God. If you pray long enough and hard enough about the right things, then you have a better relationship with God. Somehow, your prayers make you right with God.
Well, if that’s the intended message, I’m going to cry foul on it. I’ll agree that prayer might lead you to more confidence and faith. I’ll agree that prayer might help you hear the loving voice of our heavenly Father. But more prayer does not improve our standing before God. Jesus improves our standing before God.
If my prayer life is my basis for being OK with God, let me say: some days I am pretty good, and other days I’m a miserable failure. Some days I continually feel His presence in my life, and other days, not so much. I know, though, that He lives in my heart, and I am united with His Spirit. People go to great lengths to grow closer to God, but how can you possibly get closer than God Himself living inside us?
Prayer is a wonderful part of our relationship to God, but it is not the basis of it. Your confidence before God does not come from how well you pray or teach or sing or witness or do anything else, but from how well Jesus did everything. Jesus alone is enough to give you a good standing before a holy and perfect God.
So feel free to pray, and be confident in approaching God, not in order to be in good standing, but because you already are. Stand firm in the faith that God doesn’t need you to prove anything to Him. Stand firm in the belief that God is for you (Romans 8:31).
But what does it mean? Does it mean that if I pray well and often, then I will be able to stand up to life’s tests? That might be the message of the sign, in which case, I’m OK with that. Prayer connects us to the Almighty God, who is more than able to sustain us in dark and difficult times. Prayer by itself is just words, but it taps into a source of strength that carries us. You can talk to your heavenly Dad about the things in your life. That’s good news.
This is true, but is this what the church sign was trying to say? To me, it sounds as if the more you pray, the better you are before God. If you pray long enough and hard enough about the right things, then you have a better relationship with God. Somehow, your prayers make you right with God.
Well, if that’s the intended message, I’m going to cry foul on it. I’ll agree that prayer might lead you to more confidence and faith. I’ll agree that prayer might help you hear the loving voice of our heavenly Father. But more prayer does not improve our standing before God. Jesus improves our standing before God.
If my prayer life is my basis for being OK with God, let me say: some days I am pretty good, and other days I’m a miserable failure. Some days I continually feel His presence in my life, and other days, not so much. I know, though, that He lives in my heart, and I am united with His Spirit. People go to great lengths to grow closer to God, but how can you possibly get closer than God Himself living inside us?
Prayer is a wonderful part of our relationship to God, but it is not the basis of it. Your confidence before God does not come from how well you pray or teach or sing or witness or do anything else, but from how well Jesus did everything. Jesus alone is enough to give you a good standing before a holy and perfect God.
So feel free to pray, and be confident in approaching God, not in order to be in good standing, but because you already are. Stand firm in the faith that God doesn’t need you to prove anything to Him. Stand firm in the belief that God is for you (Romans 8:31).