Learning to Pray with God’s Love
Written by Lewis Turner
October 18, 2010
Key Scripture: Rom 5:5 “the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us."
The ability to show the Love of God, in our prayers, comes from the Holy Ghost of God which is given to us. Having the Holy Spirit of God, helps us in our quest to seek the Love of God, and let it guide our prayers. That quest also involves help from the Holy Spirit of God to grow in our Christian walk.
A question that has been asked: ‘How do we move and encourage people to seek God’s Love as the focus of our prayers?’ is not an easy question to answer, but in attempting to answer the question I will share one possible way. It comes from my journey which will involve sharing snapshots of my journey in prayer. I will then share keys from those experiences that may of help to others.
Starting with my Journey as an intercessor, time is taken to write thoughts and sometime prayers in a journal. An intercessor is one involved in much prayer. What journaling has done, has been to help me as I studied God’s Word. How has this happened? A journal provided a means to record items learned from Scripture, provided a means to help me to learn to listen to my heart, and to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit of God. It has also given me opportunity to see where I am, and where God has led me. The entries are like snapshot, and from those snap shots I have identified key points of periods of my life that I went through as I grew in the Lord.
Let’s look now at my prayer journey. When I first learned to pray, I prayed from my personal perception. I honestly did not realize that is what I was doing. The approach and focus of my prayers were what one might call ‘the way I see it approach’. I often did not even know what the scripture said on an issue, because I did not know God’s Word. I now know that approach was actually a hindrance to my prayers.
When I took time to study God’s Word regularly and learn it, I began to grow in my Christian life. As I started reading the Bible more, God sent people across my path who encouraged me to base my prayers on scripture. This started to change my focus of prayer to what God’s Word said, rather than “the way I see it approach”. Still I struggled with my own understanding of scripture when I prayed. As I searched for why this was happening, I found that the root problem was that the root was that my heart was still self-focused and the ‘way I see it approach’ kept popping up. Self-focus was also a hindrance to my prayers.
The real issue I faced underneath all of it was I had not really surrendered my heart to the Lord, to seek the Kingdom of God first. There came a point where I had to humble myself and make that commitment. Around this tender point in my life, God also used my wife to help me learn to listen to my heart and seek the heart of God. It is difficult for men to listen to our hearts, but with God, anything is possible. This was a major turning point in my life and I thank God for my wife’s encouragement. Learning to listen to the Lord took humbling myself and also involved surrender and commitment to the Lord. From that point on I have sought Him from my heart, and my walk with the Lord grew. My prayer life started to change and the way I prayed for others.
In time, the Lord taught me much about the prayer direction and focus that He wanted as I prayed for others. That focus was to pray in line with scripture and His Love. Again He provided people who encouraged me to keep moving forward. As I obeyed God, He drew me closer to Himself, and I sensed a desire in my heart to pray that His Love would be seen in others.
Where was this direction of God taking me? The Holy Spirit reminded me, that Love covers a lot of sin. The result was that I could no longer pray in ‘judgment’ or as ‘I saw it’. That manner of praying had to change. Praying in God’s Love does not mean that I overlook and sweep sin under the carpet. No! Praying in God’s Love for others means that God would draw them to Himself and to the cross of forgiveness. Christ said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself. I sense very deeply that praying in God’s Love does lift up Christ Jesus. When I do, old things – old ways of praying have passed away in the way I used to pray in my prayers. That was and is a major change for me in my intercession. I still have much to learn about the Love of God. Now I can say that my prayer focus, of God’s Love to be seen in others, is because of the work of God’s Love in my heart.
In this process there were 5 keys that made a difference in my prayer life. They were:
• To regularly read and learn the Word of God Ps 119:11 --Journal what you learn. It will help you listen to your heart and the Holy Spirit of God and to grow in your relationship with Jesus..
• To seek the Kingdom of God first with my heart Matt 6:33
• To draw near to God James 4:8
• To allow God to change my heart’s prayer focus Ez 36:26
• To learn to listen to my heart and seek the Heart of God
The process of growing in prayer also required humility on my part. God also provided people to help and encourage me to work through of the above points. The growth process does not stop, and I fail at times, but I do not give up. I am still learning about God’s Love and growing in my relationship with God.
If others learn to truly listen to God working in their heart, follow the keys above - out of a heart desire to get to know the Love of God, the Lord will do a wonderful work in their heart and their prayers will come to reflect that Love.
My challenge to intercessors is to take time to learn God’s word. Listen to Him, and seek the Lord with your whole heart. Write down what you sense God is showing you. Allow His Love and His Word to guide you and your prayers of intercession.
©2010 Lewis Turner
