Speaking of Life Script 4048 | Know Who You’re Talking With
Greg Williams
Have you ever been involved in a mistaken identity? Several years back when I was working for Youth for Christ, I was in Denver, Colorado for ministry training. Some younger staff friends and I went into a specialty shop to pick up a few personal items. The shop owner happened to be minding the cash register.
This shop owner was a tall lean, athletic, gentleman who was a bit older than me. I mentally flipped through my contacts and I came up with the name Alexander English who had played his National Basketball Association career with the Denver Nuggets. I inquired if he was Alex and he politely said no, I am Walter Davis. I begged his forgiveness.
This was a deja vu experience for me because I met Walter when I was high school age. My teammates and I attended a college exhibition game in Asheville, North Carolina when Walter was playing for the University of North Carolina. He did not play that day due to a high ankle sprain. He was sitting up in the bleachers by himself and when we spotted him, we went over and got his autograph and chatted for a while.
I reminded Walter about this occasion, and he remembered that day.
Knowing who you are talking with is important. Have you ever considered how true this is when we are engaging in prayer? Our prayers will be shaped by who we believe we are praying to. Jesus certainly wanted his disciples to know that when they pray, they are praying to his Father, and our Father. Jesus called him Abba Father, which indicates a deep and intimate relationship – an unbreakable bond Jesus shared with his Father. Before he taught them how to pray, he wanted to establish who they were praying to. The Psalms also engage in numerous reminders of who God is as it relates to praying. Listen to this link between prayer and the character and heart of the one they are praying to.
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
Psalm 65:1-5 (ESV)
The Psalm doesn’t end there. It goes another eight verses extolling who this God is who answers prayer. And there are many other Psalms that do the same. When it comes to prayer, the psalmists obviously see the importance of being reminded of the identity of who they are praying to.
What about you and me? We are told to pray unceasingly. Do we also seek unceasingly to know the Father who has been revealed in Jesus Christ? Do we call out to the one who hears our prayers, atones for our transgressions, and satisfies us with his goodness? Let’s pray that we do! It will make all the difference in prayer when we know who we’re talking with.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
