Conversation with the God who reveals himself
Luke 10:21-24
21 At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.
22 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. 24 I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”
Often my prayers are a giant to-do list for God, as though he has no idea what to do unless I tell him. (How embarrassing!) Jesus starts his prayer with thanks for what God has already done – showing a glimpse of his victory over Satan to the 72 disciples that Jesus sent out to prepare the way for him.
My relationship with God isn’t a monologue. It’s a conversation, where God is constantly revealing himself and what he’s doing. Like all good conversations, it will go best if I listen more than I speak, if I ask questions more than I think I have the answers – especially with God.
He invites me to make my prayers a significant part of what he’s doing in the world. But for that to happen I need to be watching and listening as he reveals himself and what he’s doing.
Jesus gives me the key to hearing: begin by acknowledging that God is the source of all wisdom, not me (Psalm 111:10; Colossians 2:2-3; James 1:5). I should sit in prayer humbly as his child, being honest with God about where I am (including the bad bits) and my dependence on him for everything good in my life – but also listening as God reveals himself, his purposes, and the parts in those purposes he invites me into.
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for revealing yourself – in all you do in the world, through your prophets and the scriptures, in Jesus, in your Spirit in me. I worship you in all your wonder. What part do you have for me in what you are doing today?
Written by David Cornell