To Whom am I speaking?

For years, when I prayed, it seems that I was addressing "God," with only a vague idea of Who "God" was-- the Supreme Being who made heaven and earth, according to what I learned in grade school.  But Jesus intimately knew this "supreme being," not as "God" (His title), but as "Abba, Father." 

Like our earthly fathers, God has a personality.  He has a sense of humor, a heart of compassion, a depth of wisdom and understanding.  He is kind and merciful, not holding men's sins against them, but reaching out to the poor and helpless.  He is angry at those who unthinkingly tred upon the weak or who abuse the innocent. 

From the very beginning, "God" (the title) revealed His Name (Yahweh--I Am) to mankind so that He would not be a distant entity, but up close and personal to man.  He wanted us to call Him by His Name, not address Him by His title (i.e., "Mr. God" or "Your Excellency").  He did not want us standing at a distance, but wanted us to approach him with confidence and comfort in His presence.

Before we begin to "pray," it is most helpful that we ask ourselves, "Who am I praying to?"  Who is "God" to me?

Once we truly answer that question, we have already begun to draw closer to His Presence, to His Personality, to His warmth.  In fact, we have already begun to pray---because prayer is dialog, not with a "supreme being," but with a Person---and more that than, with a Person who knows and loves us beyond all measure.

Years ago, I had a very close friend, who loved talking with me.  She had what I was later to call "the gift of hospitality," because she had the unique ability to make each person in her presence feel as if that was the only person on earth, someone who she had been eagerly waiting to talk to and to listen to.  She seemed to think that everything I thought was wonderful, that my children were brilliant and wonderful, and that she could spend days with me without growing weary.  When she died, I thought to myself that no one would ever love me the way she did, and I asked God to grant me her gift of making each person feel so loved and so special in her presence.

This had to be the way Jesus drew people to Himself, by making them feel as if He was there just for them.  They would not have wanted to spend time with Him had they not sensed His deep desire to spend time with them---and was He not reflecting to them the love of the Father Who sent Him?

Before we launch into whatever we call prayer, why not take a few days to explore our idea of "God."  Who is "God" to you?  Someone asked me this question 35 years ago, and my search for an honest answer to this question literally changed my life forever.  I cannot recommend this journey highly enough---your answer to the question cannot leave you unchanged!