Who Are You When You Pray?: 1. Introduction

This may seem like a strange question to ask – Who are you when you pray? But over the next few weeks we’ll unfold how people in the Bible can represent how we are with God when we pray, especially when we come before Him with prayer requests.

I know that personally some days I come before Him full of boldness and confidence, and it says in Hebrews 4: 16,

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may find mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Therefore to come to Him in all boldness is acceptable in His eyes. It says in the above scripture ‘..that we may find..’ That boldness and confidence causes us to find help and mercy for our needs.

I know also though there are days when I crawl up to the throne room and beg at His feet. Or I cry out in desperation for Him in a way I would certainly not wish many people to see – it can get quite pathetic. But Abba just smiles, I believe, as He must have at David. Look at Psalms 43, 17 and 13. These Psalms show David’s desperation, depression and anxiety for God to act for him. Therefore if David was spoken of by God Himself as “..a man after My own heart, who will do My will.” (Acts 13: 22) I believe that if we have those days in our prayer lives then that is just fine too.

Very often how we come before God can be reflected by how we see ourselves before Him or how a certain situation makes us feel. Yet we will also see how God with His Father heart and grace met people right where they were at. And my prayer for you as you read through this series with me is that you will see that God will meet you where you are at in your place of need, individually.

Sara Hesbrook

2003-04-30