Revelation or relief

Our Father provides. He has set forth the ministry of the prayer-chamber as the many-faceted means leading a heart into a development of true seeing.
The life of a praying Christian formulates itself in terms of a quest for a revelation of God as He finds Himself pleased to reveal His nature and purposes.
Answered prayer contains something of His own character, His mind and His way planted as a resource in our daily struggle.

Asking and demanding will never open for light and revelation. Praying and waiting respects and uplifts His name. Intercession glorifies His name. The very use of His name to secure man’s will desecrates any heavenly intention. Prayer begins on the inside of His name, in the chambers of His council.

David, the king, the man with a tongue as the pen of a ready writer prayed with words and definitions which were specified – this I need, this I see, this I fear, this I expect. This King of Prayer always expressed the need of revelation – be my Rock, act as my Shield, sing songs of deliverance, surround us with loving-kindness, allow help to descend from the sanctuary, allow us to see Your hands at work.

Prayers, reverently persistent. Prayers specified, but never pressing man’s agendas. Penetrating prayers simply because of the intercessor’s trust in and abandoning to God’s ability to cause all things to work together for good. Piercing, productive prayer because the Lord is trusted to diagnose and differentiate, to determine and decide regarding proper measures to be applied.

Oh, that He would reveal Himself. Pain is involved in the process of securing true revelation. There is always and ever a perennial pain in a heart which is set for true seeing. Two polarities confront man in the prayer-chamber – revelation or relief. An either/or situation constitutes true prayer and true seeing.

Modern man is set to avoid pain and to pursue pleasure. Thereby he disqualifies himself for a praying which secures true seeing. God is there to be seen by the man, or woman, who is ready for spiritual work, a following hard after the Lord. There has to be an “Oh” in a praying man’s heart – to somehow reduce this reality, even praying to be relieved of such an “Oh” is to cut off the life of the prayer-closet.

But revelation is relief – light in darkness, peace amidst pain. Revelation is relief – a seeing, tangible glory amidst hardship. Revelation is relief – “I have come to reveal the Father.” Revelation is relief – deliverance because of His songs, surrounded by His loving-kindness.
Seeing Him is relief. Enjoying Him is relief – relief from a crooked presumption of what is glorious living. Rejoicing in Him is relief – a severing from, a cutting off from contemporary means and modes of operation aiming at securing pace and prosperity.

True seeing finds a burning bush.
True seeing finds a calling to a ministry in the chambers of prayer, in the council of God.
True seeing formulates life, maturing life.
True seeing is Life, newness of Life.
True seeing finds God. True seeing rests with God.
True seeing is secured by the willingness to carry a radical “Oh, that. . .” in your heart.
True seeing is yours by choice.

Lars Widerberg