ENJOYABLE PRAYER
by Heather Jones
We see the banner hanging in the prayer room -"I will make them joyful in My house of prayer for My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples." (Isaiah 56:7-8)
But how can we be joyful in the house of prayer? What is it that makes prayer enjoyable? If you're like me, you have heard and said similar words - "You've just got to pray. That's part of what being a Christian is all about. It's our duty. Count the cost. Sacrifice. Just do it!" But is it really as bad as we seem to think it is? Is God really that boring? Is it really that hard to be with Him?
So, what does make prayer enjoyable? I believe that the first step to enjoying prayer and enjoying God Himself is knowing that YOU are enjoyed by HIM. If we have been involved in any type of prayer ministry at all, we know Isaiah 62:6 - "On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves." It speaks of wonderful dedication to the Lord and to prayer, doesn't it? But have you ever noticed that you can only run on dedication for so long? Burn out always comes sooner or later. The problem is that we have neglected the preceding verses of that chapter. Let's take a look.
"The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the lord will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, 'Forsaken,' nor to your land will it be said 'Desolate'; but you will be called, "My delight is in her,' and your land, 'Married'; for the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:2-5)
Did you know that the Lord has given you a new name? He has called you - My delight is in you, I enjoy you, I like you, I take pleasure in you! What a great name! It's much easier to be with someone that you know likes you. Who would you rather be with, someone who really, really likes you a lot OR someone who, loves you, yes, but in a tolerant sort of way and is a bit disappointed in you. I would go with the first, wouldn't you? Well, that's your God. This is how He feels about you! He actually rejoices over you the way a groom rejoices over his bride on their wedding day! Wow!
And this isn't just how He will feel about you one day; it's how he feels about you NOW. Even in your weakness, even when you blow it, even when you feel like one big mess. Let's look at what Jesus told His disciples at the same dinner that they were arguing about who was the greatest and just hours before they would all deny Him. "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you." (John 15:9) He also said in John 17:23 that the Father loved the disciples even as He loved Jesus. So, the Father and the Son are in agreement about how much they love you. In the same way that the Father loves Jesus, which is beyond imagination, is the way the Father loves you AND the way Jesus loves you. This gives all of us the right to refer to ourselves as God's favorite. Wouldn't you say that Jesus is the Father's favorite? Well, the Father feels the same way about
us as he does about the Son. When we begin to understand the emotions of God's heart towards us, then prayer becomes much more enjoyable.
As we dare to approach God as the One whose heart is absolutely ravished because of us, then our hearts are unlocked. We begin to see God in His beauty, and we begin to see our beauty in Him. The knowledge of His beauty and His burning heart of passion for us are the very things that keep our hearts soaring with God. This makes "prayer without ceasing" very enjoyable. Our hearts become fascinated, and He becomes our primary reward. All of a sudden those things that we used to fill up our boredom and our emptiness are nothing in comparison with the Beautiful God whose heart is burning for us. Jesus, our Bridegroom, is the loveliest Man that you could ever know. So, I encourage you as you come to Him - lay aside your agenda, put down your prayer list, let all the traffic in your heart slow down and simply say to Him, "Jesus, tell me how much You love me. Enjoy me! Unlock my heart and captivate me with Your beauty." He's been waiting and will be happy to do what you ask!
