One night when I badly wanted some practical guidance from God, half
in jest—half in frustration—I picked up my bedside telephone and dialed 1-800-4-HEAVEN.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz was the only response I received.
I was telling a friend about this the next day so dialed 1-800-4- HEAVEN again. This time I received a recorded message. It said in one of those typical monotone mechanical computer voices: "You are Dialing the wrong number!"
At a later time I tried calling 1-800-4-HEAVEN again. This time a real live person answered. I got such a shock I never did think to
ask the person who they were!
Seriously, it's not how we pray that matters. It's the attitude of
the heart that counts. As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman we need
to seek/worship God "in spirit and in truth." - John 4:24. That is,
when we come to God, we need to be sincere and speak honestly from
the heart.
We also need to pray in faith. As the Bible says, "Without faith it
is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must
believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
him." - Hebrews 11:6 (NIV). And Jesus promised, "You may ask me for
anything in my name, and I will do it." - John 14:14 (NIV).
Of this we can be sure, when we come to God with a sincere heart,
have faith in him, and pray in harmony with God's will in Jesus'
name, we have the assurance that God will hear and answer our prayers-
according to his will and not necessarily ours.
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