Word of Encouragement (2/2/2021)
Yesterday, we started to talk about the necessity of prayer. We said that prayer is necessary because we are needy creatures with many limitations. We also said that we should approach prayer, not as a business transaction to get what we want from God but as a relational interaction with our heavenly Father. Today, let’s talk about what that implies.
Simply put, seeing our prayer as a relational interaction implies that our greatest need is God Himself, not what God can give us. Think about why people go on dates. Isn’t it to get to know the other person to see whether there is a possibility for a long-term relationship that can lead to marriage? At least, that should be the reason. What if someone goes on a date simply to get a free meal or a free movie or a free trip or a gift but has no interest in getting to know the other person? There are benefits to having a (social, marital) relationship with someone but those benefits should not be the reason for the relationship. The same should be true especially in our relationship with God.
Our greatest need is God because we are made in the image of God. The very meaning and value of an image is its resemblance to what it represents—in other words, its close connection to the thing, whose likeness it bears. We can see an image by itself and marvel at how beautiful and delicate it looks. But when we find out what it is supposed to represent, our appreciation might increase all the more (because of the uncanny resemblance between the two) or we may be turned off by it (because it is not at all like what it is supposed to represent).
Of course, when the Bible speaks of man being made in the image of God, it is not speaking of man’s physical resemblance to God. God is a Spirit and He has no shape or form. The resemblance is moral and spiritual in character: we were made to be like Him as moral, spiritual agents with personhood. This points to another important dimension of man being made in the image of God.
Man is not a thing that is made just to stand there, looking like God, like a portrait. He is a living being. He is made a living being by the breath of life God breathed into his nostrils. Think about the intimacy of that divine act. Think about the intimate relationship that was established by that creative act. No wonder God said, “…man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deut. 8:3). Man was made to have a relationship with God, from which he draws meaning, purpose, value, and life itself!
The necessity of prayer should be seen in this light. It is a gift that God has given to us as a means of having and enjoying this relationship we have with our Maker, who is the Fount of life and every blessing. We may even say that prayer is the pinnacle of our engagement with God as we bring to Him our deepest longings and desires and realize that He alone can truly satisfy us and we have all we need in Him. May you experience that today!