Devotions for Dating Couples - Week 3: Prayer, Monday: To Whom Are You Praying?

Isaiah 6:1-5

Matthew 6:8-13

Romans 11:22

This devotion made me remember Kairos when someone presented about who we think God is. Luckily, I have that journal typed up from when I had Cara "send" it to me for a story I was writing freshman year. These are the different ideas of God I wrote down, probably from the presentation:

Police God: sin = hell

Santa Clause God: prayer = you get it

Accountant God: keeps a record of everything you do

Aspirin God: there to fix everything

Mountain God: way up there

Catechism God: has the answers to everything

While there is a lot of truth in those images, they do not encompass all God Is and what He wants our relationship with Him to be. He is our Father, so yes He is looking out for us and wants to help us when we are struggling, He wants to heal our wounds and answer all our questions. But He gave us free will to make choices and follow His path or our own, and He will not step in with a bandaid every time we fall from a wrong direction we've taken. He will watch over us though, and protect us on the path that He has created for us and catch us when we stumble because that path is not a smooth one.

He is also our Holy King, who sees everything, and judges us as only a perfect God can. He watches over all of us and passes judgement on those who do not accept the gift of His Son that He has given, because their sin consumes them. He doesn't desire for us to spend eternity in Hell, but rather that we would live out our afterlife with Him in all His glory, but if we reject the price He paid so that we would be able to be with Him, despite our sinfulness, that is our choice and He must act as the just God that He is.

Sometimes when I pray, I think of Him as a friend, catching him up on how I'm feeling and what the day has made me think about. Most of the time, I think I am able to get the reverence and intimacy in my prayers that truly show my relationship with Him, or what I'd like it to be. But I'm still growing, so hopefully I will improve in that area.