Sunday, April 7, 2013 - 5:50 pm

Today at church Pastor Kip spoke on prayer, talking about how our understanding of who God is shapes the way that we pray, and that's why it's so important to have a proper understanding of God. When we focus only on God's promises, we lose sight of the God who gives those promises and we are more anxious and fearful, unsure of promises made by a God who we see as weak, forgetful and mediocre. We cling desperately to promises that we don't really expect to be fulfilled. When we have a proper understanding of who God is, however, and focus on Him, it is far easier to believe that He can do all that He promises. When we pray, we are speaking to an eternal God who is never growing weaker, He has all authority and power, He can do everything He sets out to do, and no one can tell Him otherwise. Psalm 115:3 says, "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him." This doesn't mean that God is capricious, doing something on a whim without any plan or reason, it means He is consistent, certain things please Him, certain things don't, and no one can force Him to act contrary to His nature. God is revered, and deserving of that reverence, He is beautiful, and the source of all beauty, He is holy, majestic, beyond comparison. We can't begin to describe all that God is capable of, because He is so much greater than our imagination is even able to make Him. Fortunately, God is also glorious. The glory of God is displayed all around us, giving us a glimpse of who He is. When we see all these attributes of God on display, that is His glory. It's no wonder that a God who wants us to know Him would make His glory evident. Let's keep the glory of who God is in mind as we pray to Him, and know that He is very able to answer our prayers.