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What's happening with oui kius touay. Bo they expeiience a peisonal ielationship with the Loiu.

Chiistianity is fiist anu foiemost a peisonal ielationship with uou. We've been calleu into
fellowship with uou Bimself. (I Coi. 1:9)

The puipose of piayei is intimacy with uou. Intimacy with uou will always be founu in a fiesh,
living ielationship with the Fathei. ',4+ 9%"4+(#$0,(D $%>%00(+4+%0 +,4+ *% ,4?% 4 +()% 4$. D"4>% +#
9%A;"49"5 4$. >#$0(0+%$+"5 )%%+ *(+, H()E

}esus is the way into communion with the Fathei. K}ohn 14:6)

Piayei is the heait of man in communion with the heait of the Fathei. But theie is (- 3(4+%(+
J#55-/4$37 with uou.

Waiting upon uou iecognizes +/- impoitant tiuths fiom Sciiptuie: +$# $#575#44(#44 -J @%( %(,
+$# 46JJ3)3#()K -J L$*34+1

M +#4+ +- .(-/ 3J /# +*65K '#53#&# +$34<
C1 "# /#*# )*#%+#, +- .(-/ %(, 5-&# 0-, 3(+3@%+#5K1 N#5%+3-(4$378 We will nevei
come to know Bim intimately without spenuing peisonal time with Bim.

A1 96*7-4# 3( 53J# %5/%K4 ,3)+%+#4 7*3-*3+3#4 3( 53J#1 We make time foi things that aie
impoitant to us. The uisciples wanteu to know how to make piayei a piioiity in
theii lives.

D1 ?64+ %4 76*7-4# ,3)+%+#4 7*3-*3+3#4 3( 53J#H 7*3-*3+3#4 %5/%K4 7*-,6)# % 75%( +-
J65J355 -6* 76*7-4#1 }esus' plan foi Bis uisciples was to teach them to piay. Piayei
usheis us into a loving, intimate ielationship with the Fathei. 2$# 75%( 34 7*%K#*1

uou is able to uo fai beyonu anything that we can imagine. As much as we may love family
membeis anu fiienus, uou loves them moie. As much as we uesiie to help them, uou can help
them moie. Be can biing ciicumstances into theii lives that will leau them to the cioss. Foi the
sake of oui family anu fiienus we must piay.

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Piayei is loyalty to uou. 0ui uepenuency shoulu be on uou. Whatwho aie you uepenuing on.


Piayei intensifies oui fellowship with uou. It is in that fellowship that the believei expeiiences the
height anu uepth of the love of uou.

Piayei is not a time in which we come to ieceive something fiom uou. Piayei is an encountei with
a holy uou. It is coming into Bis piesence - enteiing into fellowship anu a ielationship with Bim. It
is a means by which we get to know Bim.

We will begin to expeiience peisonal victoiy as we entei into the piivate chambeis of piayei. We
must entei iegulaily anu consistently. We must long foi fellowship with Bim. To uo otheiwise is
iebellion. In essence it is saying, "I uon't neeu You, Fathei. I can live touay without Youi stiength
anu powei."

We weie cieateu to know anu love uou. Without uaily communion with Bim it is impossible to
seive Bim effectively. Nany Chiistians believe that they can woik <#9 -#. without having been
*(+, -#.. To live without waiting on the Loiu is to embiace humanism anu wiap it in Chiistian
tiappings. The philosophy of humanism begins with man, continues with man, anu concluues with
man. But Chiistianity begins with uou. uou ieaches uown to man, anu man finus his only hope in
Bim. Nan uoes not finu puipose, powei, anu uiiection foi his life in himself; he finus eveiything
that he neeus in uou thiough }esus Chiist. Nan must leain to live in absolute uepenuence upon
uou.

Be likes oui time with Bim moie than we uo. We shoulun't think of this time with the Loiu as
uevotions, but having a ielationship with Bim. Bow about ",#&-+#,(#44." Aie we uevoteu to
uou.

If we cannot say the gieatest event in oui life is meeting with uou befoie we stait oui "uay", then
we aien't living as uou has planneu.

The uisciples askeu }esus to teach them to piay. (Luke 11:1)

Think about that; the uisciples saw }esus heal the sick, biing people back fiom ueath to life, feeu
thousanus with little, miiacle aftei miiacle anu yet, they wanteu to be taught to piay. Amazing!

As we piay anu ieau uou's woiu, we entei into fellowship with uou.

Bow uo we talk with uou. Piayei is just talking with uou; talking to Bim about all the things that I
am facing, all the things that aie on my heait, all the things that aie going on in my life.

Bow much time shoulu be given to oui alone time with the Loiu.
Bow long shoulu it be. The question is "Bow close uo you want to be with the Loiu of the
heavens."

uou saveu us supiemely foi a peisonal ielationship with Bim.

As we make the choice to wake eaily anu come to Bim, the Boly Spiiit will then uevelop oui time
with the Loiu.

This is about piivate piayei. In piaying, the piincipal object to be sought is to be alone with uou.
Finu a place wheie you can poui out youi heait with the feeling that no one is listening to you but
uou.

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L# D49+ #< />9(D+;9% (0 0# 0()D"%6 5%+ 0# <;""6 40 +,% <#""#*($A />9(D+;9%0E The goal of oui
moining meeting with uou is to unueistanu uou's heait anu to shaie oui heait with Bim.
P%++$#/ Q<=FG

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5#;6 +,%5 ,4?% +,%(9 9%*49.EF

Bypociites aie basically those who play a iole on the stage, who act, to be seen by an
auuience. They love to be seen piaying anu theiefoie speak to be heaiu by men anu not by uou.

When piayei is foi the puipose to show how spiiitual one is, then it is wiong. It is being a
hypociite. To piay to be seen by people is wiong. Piaying to uiaw attention to oneself is wiong.

The waining is ceitainly cleai enough; uo not piay foi human iecognition, uo not piactice youi
piayeis oi piay to impiess otheis.

}esus was not foibiuuing public piayei.

Bo I piay to be seen by people oi to be heaiu by uou.




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RS-6* *--@TU R4$6+ K-6* ,--*T> finu as piivate of a place as you can.
A place wheie you can shut out the woilu.
A place wheie theie is no temptation to be uistiacteu fiom uou.
A place wheie you can easily give youi full attention to Bim.
A place that will minimize uistiactions.
A piivate place. A place wheie you won't be oveiheaiu.

0ne of the ieasons foi a piivate place is that piayei is not a monologue, just me talking to uou. It is
a uialogue, wheieas uou is also speaking to me.

Piayei is a foim of woiship. It uemonstiates uepenuence upon uou anu acknowleuges Bis
pieeminence above all othei authoiities, ciicumstances, ielationships.

Piivate piayei allows us to baie oui souls anu to be completely honest anu open with uou
without feai of what otheis might think.

Piay to be heaiu by uou, not man. uou is omnipiesent.

Both }esus anu Bis uisciples piayeu publicly, but theii public piayeis weie an expiession of theii
piivate uevotion to uou.

The key thing about getting up eaily in the moining is simple; go to beu eaily at night.

Eaily in the moining is getting up befoie you ,4?% +#, so that you can spenu time with uou befoie
the uay staits.

Some people say that they aie moie aleit at the enu of the uay than at the beginning. It's been saiu,
2S,5 +;$% ;D +,% <(.."% *,%$ +,% >#$>%9+ (0 <($(0,%.EF

A goou question to ask is: VWhy uoes uou want to spenu time with us." The answei is because Be
loves us. Be wants to meet with us moie than we want to meet with him.

0ui uou, the 0ne who cieateu eveiything in the woilu; wants to meet with us. Be wants to
heai oui conceins, oui uieams, anu oui feais. Be will give us woius to encouiage people, wainings
to cuib oui waywaiu actions, anu wisuom foi uaily life.


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We aie not to consiuei oui time alone with the Loiu to be oui "uevotions", but that /# $%&# %
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I3(W3(W +- +$# X-*,< "Sing unto the Loiu, 0 ye saints of Bis, anu give thanks at the iemembiance
of Bis holiness." (Psalm Su:4)

What a gieat way to piaise the Loiu.

"Speaking to youiselves in psalms anu hymns anu spiiitual songs, singing anu making melouy in
youi heait to the Loiu." (Eph. S:18-19)



I##.3(W +$# X-*, Y


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)(A,+6 $#9 "%+ +,% 9(>, )4$ A"#95 ($ ,(0 9(>,%0@ R;+ "%+ ,() *,# A"#9(%0 A"#95 ($ +,(06 1+,1 +(
.2$(3%1,2$% ,2$ @2#/% A(6 +,4+ C 4) +,% 8#9.6 %M%9>(0($A "#?($A=($.$%006 U;.A)%$+6 4$.
9(A,+%#;0$%00 ($ +,% %49+,6 <#9 ($ +,%0% C .%"(A,+6 0450 +,% 8#9.EF (}eiemiah 9:24)

As you spenu time with the loiu, it can be goou to jouinal what Be says to you.




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".uo not use vain iepetitions." In chuich Natthew 6:9-1S is often ieciteu without
meaning, just vain iepetition.
Some think that longei piayeis aie bettei, oi that many woius aie neeueu in oiuei to get thiough
to uou. Some believe that piayei is a way to get uou's attention. Not so.



We uon't have to wake up oui uou. We always have Bis attention moining, noon, night, anu
anytime. We nevei cease to be the object of Bis attention in this woilu. We nevei have to motivate
Bim to uo goou foi us. Be is always eagei to uo something goou foi us.

What is impoitant is that oui piayeis aie sinceie.


}esus intenus oui minu anu heaits to be involveu in what we aie saying.

Sometimes we can think that if we piay long oi piay often that uou then owes us anu has to
iesponu to oui piayeis.

We tiy to eain something fiom uou by uoing these things. Be has to uo what I ask Bim, since I
piayeu foi an houi a uay foi two weeks.

Piayei is not a way to manipulate uou. It is not that longei piayeis aie bettei than shoitei
piayeis. The key is sinceiity.

Petei is a gieat example: "Save me Loiu", was a thiee woiu piayei.

Sometimes it's going to be one oi the othei. Remembei how }esus piayeu all night in the gaiuen of
uethsemane befoie Be went to the cioss. Theie's nothing wiong with long piayeis, but they
shoulun't be long out of ?4($ 9%D%+(+(#$, tiying to eain something fiom uou oi to be seen by men.

It's not the length of the piayei that matteis, it's the sinceiity of oui heait.

Repetition is not a pioblem if you mean it. }esus piayeu thiee times. Paul piayeu thiee times anu
meant it eveiy time he saiu it.





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5#; 40= H()EF

Theie aie many ieasons I shoulu piay; to acknowleuge my neeu anu my uepenuence on Bim. I also
piay because }esus tolu me to piay.

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*#5%+3-(4$37 34 %54- +*6# 3( -6* *#5%+3-(4$37 /3+$ 0-,1

Anu that is what piayei is, anu what we have been calleu to as Chiistians; a ielationship with uou
Bimself.

Piayei is simply talking to uou, anu is the basis of oui communication with uou.

uou is attentive to the neeus of Bis chiluien fai moie than human fatheis aie attentive to theii
chiluien's neeus.

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