Psalm 100:4-5 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5) For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
Let's think about our prayers for a moment, and hopefully that moment will
change everything about our prayer life. In thinking about my time of prayer
this morning, I am stopping to consider my approach. How devoted am I to
God as I begin my prayer? You might wonder where I'm going with these thoughts.
Let me use the thoughts of David. "... let all the inhabitants of the
world stand in awe of him (God)." (Psalm 33:8)
I am reminding myself that I cannot truly get a glimpse of God if I do not hold
Him in awe as I approach His throne. One definition of the word, awe, means to
shrink. Again, let me use someone else's words to describe what I'm saying.
John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but
I must decrease." (John 3:30) If I can truly get a glimpse of
God's glorious being, then I begin my prayer with thanksgiving as the
"gates" are opened to me. The closer my thoughts get to God, then I
begin to praise Him as I enter His "courts".
The courts of God represent that place where I have entered my closet and
closed out all other things. It is a place where I am totally alone with God in
my thoughts. I wish I could tell you that I accomplish this with every
prayer. But I will say that when I make the conscious effort to close
everything else out, then my presence with God becomes much more meaningful.
"For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and
his truth endureth to all generations."