The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
~ Psalm 145:18 (NLT)
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I'm so thankful that our God can see our hearts! When we come to Him in prayer, genuinely seeking Him and believing that He exists and hears, He is close. We don't have to worry about saying the "right" words, or using some formula . . . we just need to mean it from our heart.
On the flip side, though, God sees a dishonest heart, too. He knows who's charading in their prayers and worship. Going through the motions in ritual because "it's what you do" is a farce to Him. And if the converse of this verse is true, He is not close to those who just play the game. If you pray before you eat because it's "what you do", I recommend you re-evaluate your habit. If there is no sincerity in your prayer, I say 'stop'. If you don't mean what you say when you speak to God, if it's just habit, if you could say those repetitious words in your sleep, STOP. Don't dishonor God with meaningless prayers and risk distancing yourself from Him. He wants authenticity from us . . . He wants intimacy . . . He wants close!
So, let's do away with ritual and repetition, and instead, come to God from an honest, truthful heart. Whether it's thanking Him for providing our meals, or asking Him to bless a meeting, or saying bedtime prayers with children -- make it count. Make it meaningful. Make it real, from our hearts! He longs for a real relationship with us, and truth in our communication with Him is vital.
People might be fooled, but God sees our hearts. We're not fooling Him in the least when we spit out ritual without any realness. Let's desire closeness with God through honest dialogue with Him, asking the Holy Spirit to help us peel away any dishonesty we may have in communicating with our God.
Love,
Joelene
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