Intimacy and Prayer
For the last two weeks I’ve written about what we call the Lord’s Prayer. I just want to make sure you see it as an outline or even as talking points that direct your prayer life. Take the time to walk through it and let the Holy Spirit prompt you as you pray through it.
The Bible opens with a Garden in which God walked with man. The last book ends with another Garden in which God will walk with man for an eternity. Everything in between the first garden and the last garden has to do with God’s Redemptive plan. The story of man’s fall is found in Genesis 3. In that chapter we find Adam and Eve hiding from God because of their sin, we find God confronting them about their sin, we find Adam blaming God for giving him Eve, we find Eve blaming the serpent, and then we find God cursing all three of them, but in the middle of the curse He gives us the first Gospel proclamation. In Genesis 3:15 God promised a man born of woman who’s heal Satan would bruise, but who would in turn crush Satan’s head.
At the end of the chapter, we are told that God made for Adam and Eve garments of skins and clothed them. Even in this passage we find the shedding of blood covering sin, but God graciously sends Adam and Eve out of the Garden away from the Tree of Life so that they would not spend an eternity in their sin. The last verse of Genesis 3 says, “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden, He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Adam and Eve had everything they needed for life and more than that—God walked with them in fellowship and yet they threw it away for a lie. I’ve often wondered about the rest of the story. The Bible never tells us if Adam and Eve ever went back to the east gate, but my ‘sanctified imagination’ has often wondered if Adam ever slipped off toward the east, and in the cool of the day sat and looked upon the Garden, and wondered about what could have been.
Knowing human nature as we do, I can’t imagine that he never went back to gaze upon the Garden, but every time he went, he was reminded by the cherubim that he could no longer enter. Perhaps, until the Flood of chapter 6 changed the landscape, man would be constantly reminded of what could have been. They lost the pure fellowship with the God who made them. Jesus has regained the opportunity to walk with God and we experience that intimacy through prayer. Take advantage of it!
The Bible opens with a Garden in which God walked with man. The last book ends with another Garden in which God will walk with man for an eternity. Everything in between the first garden and the last garden has to do with God’s Redemptive plan. The story of man’s fall is found in Genesis 3. In that chapter we find Adam and Eve hiding from God because of their sin, we find God confronting them about their sin, we find Adam blaming God for giving him Eve, we find Eve blaming the serpent, and then we find God cursing all three of them, but in the middle of the curse He gives us the first Gospel proclamation. In Genesis 3:15 God promised a man born of woman who’s heal Satan would bruise, but who would in turn crush Satan’s head.
At the end of the chapter, we are told that God made for Adam and Eve garments of skins and clothed them. Even in this passage we find the shedding of blood covering sin, but God graciously sends Adam and Eve out of the Garden away from the Tree of Life so that they would not spend an eternity in their sin. The last verse of Genesis 3 says, “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden, He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Adam and Eve had everything they needed for life and more than that—God walked with them in fellowship and yet they threw it away for a lie. I’ve often wondered about the rest of the story. The Bible never tells us if Adam and Eve ever went back to the east gate, but my ‘sanctified imagination’ has often wondered if Adam ever slipped off toward the east, and in the cool of the day sat and looked upon the Garden, and wondered about what could have been.
Knowing human nature as we do, I can’t imagine that he never went back to gaze upon the Garden, but every time he went, he was reminded by the cherubim that he could no longer enter. Perhaps, until the Flood of chapter 6 changed the landscape, man would be constantly reminded of what could have been. They lost the pure fellowship with the God who made them. Jesus has regained the opportunity to walk with God and we experience that intimacy through prayer. Take advantage of it!
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April
Rungs in the ladder of prayerThe Rung of ResidenceThe Prayer Rung of ComprehensionThe Rung of FullnessCommitment to PrayerChristlike in PrayerPrayer is the WorkHow to PrayPraying the ArmorHow to pray without ceasingPraying the PsalmsThree Kinds of PrayerWrite it DownGood Friday PrayerPraying with TozerPraying with Tozer part 2Praying with Tozer part 3Praying with John StottThree Keys to PrayerPraying with PaulPraying with PaulA Reason to Praise
May
Praying to Continue in the FaithPraying as I ReadKeeping in Step with the Holy SpiritA Page from my Prayer JournalLiving a Spirit Filled LifeSaturated in the Word as we Pray the WordAbounding in LovePraying for the LostFilled with the FullnessWalk by the SpiritLed by the SpiritLive by the SpiritKeep in Step with the SpiritSpiritual RhythmsLife is War so PrayChasing HolinessPrayer as a Wartime Walkie TalkieGod has given us everything we needChanged as we get to know GodDivine NatureAbba FatherAbba in HeavenHallowed be Your nameKingdom ComeYour will be doneGive us this day
2024
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