The Gospel and Prayer

14. Begin prayer each day confining yourself to giving thanks for the Cross and the effects of the Cross in your life.

Wow! That piece of advice has been sitting on my refrigerator for two years. And it hasn't really hit me until last night what a powerful tool prayer can be in orienting my life to the gospel. I have always loved John Piper's definition of prayer because it is so simple. Prayer is asking. How true. So, strictly speaking, I would say that giving thanks is possibly a tunnel or state of heart through which prayer can be expressed. How kind of God that it is also a means of grace to us. When I begin by thanking God for the Cross, it reminds me of His love for me and for the price of my salvation (being the very blood of Christ incarnate). I am instantly humbled, and aware of the great chasm of need and weakness that I am. I am instantly uplifted, because I know how my Great God has foreseen these weaknesses and shortcomings and before my birth has made provision for them. I am filled with joy and faith. I now feel comfort in asking my Heavenly Father, because He will answer me. I ask boldly, because I am so aware of the power of God, He can indeed do anything. I also ask based on the Cross, i.e. because of the great price paid for my salvation and the great love shown to me by my former enemy, my heart's desire is to grow in closeness to this Savior and to become as much like this great Lover of my soul as is possible. All of these things are the tip of the iceberg...I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. All this from the life-giving gospel applied to the gift of prayer. What an amazing, kind, God we serve!

P.S. The initial statement comes from a handout I received from C.J. Mahaney entitled "18 Suggestions to help keep the Main thing the Main thing:"