Our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus wants us to be in continual contact with them through prayer. Prayer isn’t just bowing our heads with our eyes closed, it’s also talking to Him throughout our day. He loves you and wants you to be with Him where He is. That’s true love. So how can we do that? How does that get accomplished since He’s physically in heaven and we’re physically on Earth?
We come to Him spiritually in His throne room by our conversations with Him, both with our heads bowed in prayer and as we speak to Him from our hearts while we do our daily activities.
Revelation 8:3-4
“And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.”
Revelation 5:8
“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”
Hebrews 4:14-16
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore COME boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
I love the book of Job because there’s so much wisdom to find. It seems every time I read it, I see something new, like with this:
Job 15:4
“Yea, thou castest off fear,
and restrainest prayer before God.”
The treasure I discovered was that it’s very bad to restrain our prayers from God. And by implication of that verse, we know He really wants us to talk to Him. It makes sense, how can we have a good close relationship with Him if we don’t want to talk to Him? A little further into that idea, how can we have a close relationship with God if we don’t think about Him often, and in our desire to bring Him joy, find out what pleases Him?
Can we bring joy to the LORD and does he experience pleasure? Yes.
Nehemiah 8:10
“… for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
What is the joy of the LORD?
3John 1:3-4
“For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in TRUTH.”
Philippians 2:13
“For it is God which worketh in you both To Will and To DO of His good pleasure.”
2Thessalonians 1:11
“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and THE Work of faith with power”
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Spiritually speaking, Jerusalem for us today is the spiritual Body of Christ. Zion and Jerusalem are the same thing, spiritually speaking, they mean and represent all of God’s children:
Psalms 51:18
“Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.”
This is the building up of the Body of Christ and the spiritual kingdom of God here on the Earth.
1Corinthians 3:6-7
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”
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More of God’s pleasure:
Luke 12:32
“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Ephesians 1:5
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”
Ephesians 1:9
“Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself”
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The will of God is His good pleasure and joy.
Hebrews 12:14
“Follow peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which no man shall see the Lord”
This “peace” doesn’t mean we’re never in conflict with others or that to keep “the peace”; according to man’s definition, we “go along to get along” by being in agreement with everyone and everything. No, it’s not that kind of so called “peace”.
God’s peace is holiness that comes from abiding in the truth, walking in the Spirit through obedience to God’s will by the power of His Holy Spirit that’s working in us to perform His good pleasure. When we follow peace with all men, we are living according to God’s instructions on how to deal with each other and Him. Then we have peace no matter the confusion and tumult around us because we are grounded and settled in love, the love of God and the love we give to our neighbors.
Colossians 1:23
“IF ye CONTINUE IN the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved AWAY from the hope of the gospel”
Hebrews 3:12
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in DEPARTING from the living God.”
Matthew 12:50
“For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
Matthew 7:21
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that Doeth the Will of My Father which is in heaven.”
John 12:26
“If any man serve Me,
let him follow Me;
and where I am,
there shall also my servant be:
if any man serve Me,
him will My Father honour.”
1John 1:5-9
“This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”