The Heart for Prayer

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.      Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and  whatever we ask we receive from Him…                                             1 John 3:18-22                             

I have often been drawn to this honest, penetrating, passage in John's letter, drawn to it for its forthright description of the ambivalence I can feel before God.  And, drawn by the comfort John gives to people like me.  My heart can condemn me; but God is greater than my heart!  What a great comfort when all my honest and sincere efforts to live a godly life seem to pale before my failings.  Recently, however, I have felt myself drawn to the picture John paints next, that of being confident before God.  Perhaps my heart is finally learning the lesson of His patient, constant Love.  Whatever the cause, the picture of a trusting child coming to her parent, confident in her place before the parent, confident to make her requests, and finding the answer to her requests has given me a clarity about prayer.  First, we see this simple confidence lived by Jesus in His relationship with God.  This basic, trust-filled confidence is the basis for much of Jesus' teaching on prayer.  Second, it helps me make sense of prayers of petition and intercession, where else would a child go with their concerns but to their mommy or daddy.  Thirdly, it highlights again the necessity of knowing that we are loved, of having the unconditional acceptance of God be the root and basis of our coming to Him.  For, it is the loved child who is confident to make their request known.  Finally, it reminds me of the active party in this process.  A confident trusting heart is not something I choose, it is a result of God's gift of Love.  So, this provides direction for how I should respond to the anxiety I can still experience about my life.  John tells us: “Perfect Love casts out fear.”  So, instead of techniques to manage or minimize, to deflect or correct, (all good and helpful in their place) I need to find ways to reconnect with the truth of God's Love for me: “Beloved if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him.”

Oz Lorentzen,
Director of King’s Fold