Chosen for Prayer

The above title is a section heading in Mlton Vencents book the ''Gospel Primer''. It is becoming more and more obvious to me that God is trying (and succeeding) to speak into my life the importance of prayer. I have been surrounded by information about this topic by the books I am reading, church messages, and the blog world. It is awesome to watch God work. A bit frightening too, I had better start to pay better attention! I want to share this section with you.


Chosen for prayer


When God chose me for Christ before the foundation of the world, He did not choose me to be merely ''holy and blameless''; He chose me also to be ''before Him in love.'' To be sure I am always in Gods presence on earth, and in heaven I will be in His presence more fully then ever. But it could also be said that in this life I am especially ''before Him in love'' when I come ''before Him'' in prayer and worship.
Therefore, I can infer that prayer is not simply something I am allowed to do as a Christian; prayer is actually one of the great purposes for which God chose to save me. Christ Himself confirms this fact when he makes the following statement to His disciples, ''I chose you...that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.'' As a chosen one of God, I was saved to pray; and whenever I come into Gods presence to behold Him, I am arriving at the pinnacle of Gods saving purposes for me.
God is radically committed to my life of prayer. He shed the blood of His Son so that I might be cleansed and rendered fit to stand before Him in love. He also permitted the brutal rending so His Son so that I might now have a way into the Holy Place through the torn flesh of Jesus. ''Draw near'' He says in Hebrews 4; ''Draw near'' He says in Hebrews 10; ''pray without ceasing'' He urges elsewhere. How can I not feel the infinite sincerity of these invitations especially when considering the painful lengths that God endured so that I might enter His presence in prayer?
Indeed, the gospel itself serves as the sweetest of invitations to pray; and preaching it to myself each day nurtures within me a mighty impulse to come ''before [God] in love'' and do the praying that I was elected to do.

Blessings.