Finding Joy in God Through Prayer

I am currently reading a book by John Piper titled When I Don't Desire God, How to Fight for Joy. Upon starting the book I was a bit hesitant as I assumed that I found much joy in Christ and didn't need to fight to find it, however as I have come to learn finding joy in Christ is a daily learning process and a battle until the day we die.

Something God has been teaching me lately is the importance of prayer. Throughout my life, pre-salvation and during I have grown in the way I pray but many times my prayers have been repetitive demands with an ungrateful heart. As I continue to study the character of our amazing and awesome God I have begun yearning for constant commune in prayer or talk with Him. Piper dedicates a couple chapters in his book to the power of prayer and some great tips in how to pray. But before we can truly pray we need to understand what prayer is. The Westminster Catechism defines prayer as, "an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies"...or simply put, "an offering up of our desires to God". Prayer therefore reveals the heart. And even deeper what we are praying for reveals our spiritual condition. The desires of our heart reveal what our treasure is and our treasure must be Christ! "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him!"

We must learn to pray for joy and satisfaction in the Lord because we can not get that ourselves. John 14:13 says, "Whatever you ask in my name...this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The early church knew the vitality of prayer but do we? We must learn as disciples how to truly pray and we will soon find how much joy is found in our fellowship with the God of the universe.

Piper examines the early church and comes up with great tips on how to radically change your prayer life:

1. The early Christians called on God to exalt his name in the world (Matt 6:9)
2. The early Christians called on God to extend his kingdom in the world (Matt 6:10)
3. The early Christians called on God for the fullness of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13)
4. The early Christians called on God to save unbelievers (Romans 10:1)
5. The early Christians called on God for healing (Acts 8:7)
6. The early Christians called on God for strategic wisdom (Col 1:9)
7. The early Christians called on God for unity and harmony in the ranks (John 17:20-21)
8. The early Christians called on God to help them know him better (Ephesians 1:17)
9. The early Christians called on God to help them comprehend the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:14,18)
10. The early Christians called on God for a deeper sense of assured hope (Romans 5:2)
11. The early Christians called on God for strength and endurance (Ephesians 3:16)
12. The early Christians called on God for their faith to be preserved (Luke 22:32)
13. The early Christians called on God that they might not fall into temptation (Matt 6:13)
14. The early Christians called on God to complete their resolves and enable them to do good works (2 Thess. 1:11)
15. The early Christians called on God for forgiveness of their sins (Matt 6:12)
16. The early Christians called on God for protection from the evil one (Matt 6:13)

Meditate on God's Word, pray over it in your fight for joy! Incline your ear to wisdom, pray for that desire. Ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart to His truth. Ask for unity within your heart and mind as you find joy in some areas and lack of trust or sorrow in others. And ask the Lord to satisfy you fully in Him.

May these lines from the hymn of praise by Robinson "Come Thou Fount" be our prayer as well...

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Find joy in God through your time spent with Him!!