I Chronicles 16:11: Seeking God's Presence & Strength Through Prayer | Christian Growth

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” I Chronicles 16:11

One of the essentials of the Christian life is to live in obedience to God. We are called not only to hear God’s words but to do them. When a woman called out from the crowd, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed” (Luke 11:27), Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28). Who is truly blessed? It is the person who hears God’s words and puts them into practice.

People ask, “Can I make progress in the Christian life?” The answer sometimes seems uncertain. We go forward then backwards. We succeed in Christian living and then we fail. We resist a temptation and then do not do so well. Someone once said that we do not overcome temptations but only outgrow them. Is this true? Do we ever overcome temptations?

Christianity has always affirmed that progress is possible in the Christian life. It is the expected response of gratitude to the grace of God. How does this progress take place? It is initiated, sustained, and fulfilled by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. It is not primarily through human effort. The Spirit of God who lives within encourages us, challenges us, disciplines us, and instructs us. Though we never fully overcome our human, sinful natures, God is at work in us to conform us, more and more, into the image of Christ. While we often cannot see our progress in the moment, as we look back on our lives, we realize many ways in which we have grown in grace.

What is the first response of gratitude to God? It is prayer. This is the first act of faith. When faith emerges in our hearts, the fundamental response is to turn ourselves to God. We turn to God and address him in confession, invitation, thanksgiving, humility, and openness. It is through prayer that we come into communion with the living God. The daily discipline of prayer – both individually and with others – should mark the Christian life.

What does it take to be good at prayer? This may be the wrong question. Our focus on prayer should not be on how well we are doing it. We should not strive to be proficient or accomplished at prayer. The point is to connect with God. As David said, we should seek the Lord and his strength. We should strive to live in his presence continually (I Chronicles 16:11).

What should our prayers include? The life of prayer includes praise to God for his nature and works, sincere confession of our sin, and intercession for the needs of those we know and for the needs of the world. It is good to thank God in prayer for his many blessings. It is also good to confess our sins and ask for strength to do better. We should pray for others, as this is an obligation of all Christians. God also invites us to bring our personal petitions to him. He is our heavenly Father and takes our concerns into his heart.

Prayer is a great privilege. It is an act of obedience on our parts and a great gift. When we pray, we have access to the God of all things and to his throne of grace. Prayer unlocks for us all the treasures of God’s grace and riches.