(Perspective) Biblical: Outta My Head-Reflections of Prayer and Meditation

Outta My Head-Reflections of Prayer and Meditation Isaiah 30: 18

Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of Justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

My old thoughts: Wake up and pray? The older church ladies prescribed it. Spend an hour with God. Uh-What? Give everything up to God. Please spare me. HE already knows and clearly doesn’t care. My whole life I’ve heard that expression-that statement: “Pray about it.” Or, “We’ll keep you lifted up in prayer.” Even now saying it sounds repetitive and played out, almost as if it has no meaning. Yeah, so what does that even mean?

Isaiah 30: 18 really stood out. This verse in the portion of the chapter says nothing specifically about prayer or even talking to God, but it is exactly what happens during the transition to a prayerful life as well as what happens while we pray. The first section of verse 18 reads:

Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you…

For years I heard, “pray.” There are people who spend two hours or more praying and many more who wish they could spend their entire time praying and sitting at the feet of Christ. I never understood. But, like the verse says, “The Lord will wait” for you to get to that point in your development, “that He may be gracious to you.” When my prayers start, oftentimes I’m silent thinking how to start, or knowing I need to confess. He waits for the repentance and He is gracious to forgive.

...And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you…

When you transition and get to the realization of who God is and really connect to what’s taking place during this communication process, you naturally exalt Him. It just flows. You become aware of His love, His power, His might and you want to acknowledge Him. Through that process, His mercy flows over you. You realize what you deserve for your wrongful acts, but He showers you with comfort and peace.

...For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are those who wait for Him.

One reason the masses refuse to pray is due to the perceived lack of justice. In short, life isn’t fair. Why would anyone pray to a God when there is no justice? When you consider: your own shortcomings, what you deserve, realize who and what God is, wait on Him as He has waited on you, you then receive the blessing of peace, patience, and understanding. You see and believe how the Lord is a God of justice, grace and mercy. You desire to have God extend His grace and mercy to others, or you are willing to wait.

While you pray, it’s not a matter of rushing through your thoughts as you learn how the communication process takes place. The more you do it, the more you realize how much prayer is actually just talking to ... but to the Most High.

Prior to this transition, I never did understand how martyrs for Christ and those persecuted for their faith could continue, how they maintained their trust and close communication with God.

The problem many of us face is our lack of patience. He waits for us but we fail to wait for Him. We skip out on the answer to our questions because we don’t sit and wait during the prayer session or in our daily lives. We assume, like I used to, that He doesn't care.

For those who don’t know what it’s like to really pray and how people can spend hours praying, dreading the world, desiring to sit at the feet of Jesus, I’ll explain the best way I can.

We’ve heard the Model Lord’s Prayer, the importance of giving Him praise and glory, confessing our sins, praying for our enemies, etc. Here’s what a lot of people miss out on.

Conversing with Him like you’re actually talking to Him.

We’re usually so focused on checking off everything on a mental prayer list, or making sure we’re being reverent and respectful as possible. The conversing and analyzing all the small details of your life is part of your prayer time. Meditate on questions you struggle with, any upsets, concerns, fears, or grievances, temptations, anger. Like the old hymn “Take it to the Lord in Prayer,” is what that process looks like.

You’re going through your mental inventory with Him, going through conversations you’ve had with others, all your thoughts, and feelings you’ve had on every subject, topic or theme. He’s more than a friend, more than a parent, more than a spouse…when people say He’s their everything, this is why you get lost in time. You want to continue conversing with God. He already knows but wants to hear from you. It’s the best place to be, and why so many were not afraid to die.

The answers may not come all at once, or you may not see the justice you’re expecting. When you converse with Him, which includes reading scriptures, and patiently wait, like He waits for you, your perspective of what justice looks like will align more with God's bringing you the blessings. Get it outta your head and give it to God.

https://youtu.be/K6yeaHNXsBs