Getting somewhere takes effort. In engaging this effort it helps if we know where we’re going. However the extent to which we know our destination depends, in part, on the type of destination we have in mind. We might be heading for a precise geographical location that we’re familiar with—we’ve been there before, or someone we know has been there—so we’re pretty sure we know where we’re going and how we’re going to get there. If we have no direct familiarity with our destination then we need to do some investigating; talk to somebody who’s been there, look at a map, ask our phone for directions. Sometimes we can’t get precise directions to our destination. If the destination is a place in another town, it may be that the location is not prominent or its name’s been changed and therefore the town’s current residents don’t recognize the place you’re asking about.

Sometimes our destination is not a place on a map but a goal that we’re seeking. Maybe we want to achieve something: get an education, a better job, or we want to get somebody to love us. Goals like these usually take time to achieve. In that sense the effort to achieve them is a type of journey. We need to develop a strategy, perhaps map out a process so we can get to where we want to go. Some goals can take years to achieve. Some can take a lifetime. In a sense the Bible presents us with a destination that transcends time. The Lord has called us as believers to anticipate something that’s eternal; it’s never-ending; AND it’s achievable. The goal He’s set before us is to “know Him and the power of His resurrection.” The Apostle Paul referred to his journey as the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:10-14) It’s a goal to be “transformed” into the likeness of Christ and to know an everlasting fellowship with the one true God. (2 Corinth 3:18; Col 3:10) What a goal, what a destination we have before us!

The question is: how are we going to get there? Too often people who’ve been “saved” think that repenting of their sin and receiving the benefit of the Christ’s death is all there is to it. Paul and the writer of Hebrews said that this foundational understanding is just the beginning of our walk; that it’s from this starting point that we need to press forward toward our maturity in Christ. (1 Corinth 3:2; Hebrews 5:12-13) The question is: What’s the means whereby we can find our way to where we’ve been called to go? A significant part of the answer is prayer. And not just making requests of God so we can enjoy a better life here and now. He wants us to set our sights on something far more important than what we need or desire in this life. He’s presented us with a destination that will be illuminated by His everlasting glory! A place where He will rule and reign for eternity! And that destination involves our being changed into His image; starting here and now and culminating in our obtaining residence in His kingdom forever. But we have to seek it through prayer informed by the divinely appointed resource that He has placed at our disposal: His Word.

I’ve mentioned in a previous post that Jesus provided us with an example of praying in what we know as: the Lord’s Prayer. When this prayer is used religiously it’s been referred to as the “Our Father,” as in saying a number of Our Fathers in order to counteract wrongful thoughts or actions. This isn’t a dig against Catholic practices; Protestants can also use the text in their own way to make up for waywardness or to diffuse the effect of wrongful thoughts. What we learn from this prayer is how to address God our Farther and what we might expect to receive from Him through the effort, things such as forgiveness of sin and the basic needs of life.

However, I think that scripture indicates that prayer should have a much greater role in our lives than just an occasional recital of our needs and wants. Jesus would pray through the course a day, sometimes stopping in the middle of whatever He was doing to address the Father. (Matt 11:25) He’d spend extended periods of time in prayer, withdrawing from His followers for that purpose. (Matt 14:23) Sometimes He’d spend all night in prayer, looking for understanding or to come to terms with what He needed to do. (Luke 6:12) The prayer He engaged the night He was taken into custody gives us a glimpse into what those all night vigils might have been like. At Gethsemane He sought assurance and resolve in order to follow the Father’s lead. (Mark 14:32-42)

We may not have to literally die on the cross as He did, but we can be confronted with challenges that are difficult to navigate on our own. Some decisions may require us to die to ourselves and do what the Lord is indicating, perhaps forsaking our own wellbeing in the process. It was like that for me when I decided to give up my career in aviation in order to attend seminary. For me that was a major change of direction and I spent a lot of time in prayer before making that decision. And the process of seeking the Lord was almost as beneficial as the successful result of my choice. My understanding of the Lord, and my relationship with Him was definitely advanced through that experience; it was another step in learning how to rely on God in all things and a means of getting to know the Lord as well.

And to know Him is to become like Him; to be transformed into His image. Fellowship with God is enhanced through prayer, or it should be. Rather than using prayer simply as a means to pacify the Lord in His righteousness or to request a need, it can be an essential way we become like Him. The process of commiserating with the Lord changes us from someone who is isolated within their own mind, to someone whose humanity is fully realized through our collaboration with Him. He wants that kind of relationship with us all. It’s an extension of His nature; God is Love and He’s made a way for us to have a relationship with Him sustained by His nature. As the scripture says, “draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

Prayer is a crucial element for drawing near to God and maintaining our fellowship with Him. It’s a vehicle for realigning the way we do life. Instead of forging ahead on our own as best we can, we have the opportunity to sync up with the Lord. It’s not just a means of consulting with God on an occasional basis; we can learn how to maintain our fellowship through ongoing prayer. This sort of approach is suggested in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians when he prompted those believers to “rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks,” because this was the will of God. (Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Having said this, it seems to me that the world promotes its own version of how to do life. Rather than promoting a way to maintain a continuous fellowship with God, it’s developed ways to maintain a constant “fellowship” with each other—I’m talking about the cell phone and social media. What started out as a handy means for getting in touch with people has turned into a preoccupation influencing every minute of every day. I would suggest that part of what prompts this behavior is a sense of isolation we feel inside our own skin. By staying in continuous contact with other people we don’t have to face our basic need for fellowship with God! But it’s only in fellowship with the Lord that this predicament of soul can be resolved.

Why do we do that? Perhaps it’s because we don’t want to give up the sovereignty of our soul; I’m speaking to Christians now. People who don’t know the Lord don’t have an alternative; they can only look to other people for help with their aloneness. However, as Christians, we’ve been reconciled with God through the cross; but the cross is only the beginning. As believers we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling learning how to walk with the Lord. In a sense we’ve been harnessed to the Lord and we need to learn how to stay in step with Him. And one of the primary ways we do that is prayer; regular, periodic prayer, and ongoing prayer that maintains our fellowship with Him throughout our day. In doing this we redefine our existence, an existence that can only be fully realized through fellowship with God.