Are You God’s Friend?—What Your Prayers Reveal

HAVE you ever accidentally overheard two people conversing? No doubt it did not take you long to determine the nature of their relationship—whether they were intimates or strangers, mere acquaintances or close, trusting friends. In a similar way, our prayers can reveal our relationship with God.

The Bible assures us that God “is not far off from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) Indeed, he invites us to know him. We can even be his friends. (Psalm 34:8; James 2:23) We can enjoy real intimacy with him! (Psalm 25:14) Clearly, our relationship with God is the most precious thing we imperfect humans could possibly possess. And Jehovah treasures our friendship. This is evident because our friendship with him is based on our faith in his only-begotten Son, who gave his life in our behalf.—Colossians 1:19, 20.

Our prayers should therefore reflect deep love and appreciation for Jehovah. Have you ever felt, though, that your prayers, while reverent, are somewhat lacking in real depth of feeling? This is not uncommon. The key to improving matters? Nurturing your friendship with Jehovah God.

Finding Time for Prayer

First of all, it takes time to nurture and cultivate a friendship. You may daily greet or even converse with any number of people—neighbors, coworkers, bus drivers, and store clerks. Still, this hardly means that you are really friends with such ones. Friendship grows as you talk at length with someone, moving from superficial chatter to the expression of your inner feelings and thoughts.

In a similar way, prayer helps us draw close to Jehovah. But adequate time must be devoted to it; more is needed than a quick thank-you at mealtimes. The more you talk to Jehovah, the more you are able to sort out your own feelings, motives, and actions. Solutions to difficult problems begin to manifest themselves as God’s spirit calls to mind principles from his Word. (Psalm 143:10; John 14:26) Further, as you pray, Jehovah becomes more real to you, and you become more aware of his loving interest in and concern for you.

This is especially so when you experience an answer to your prayers. Why, Jehovah can “do more than superabundantly beyond all the things we ask or conceive”! (Ephesians 3:20) This does not mean that God performs miracles in your behalf. However, through his written Word, publications of the faithful slave class, or the mouths of loving brothers and sisters, he may provide you with needed advice or direction. Or he may give you the strength needed to endure or resist a temptation. (Matthew 24:45; 2 Timothy 4:17) Such experiences fill our hearts with appreciation for our heavenly Friend!

One must therefore make time for prayer. True, time is in short supply during these stressful days. But when you really care about someone, you usually find time to spend with that one. Note the way that the psalmist expressed himself: “As the hind that longs for the water streams, so my very soul longs for you, O God. My soul indeed thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1, 2) Do you have a similar longing to talk to God? Then buy out the time to do so!—Compare Ephesians 5:16.

For example, you might try rising early in the morning in order to have some private time to pray. (Psalm 119:147) Do you sometimes experience sleepless nights? Then, like the psalmist, you can view such troubling times as an opportunity to express your concerns to God. (Psalm 63:6) Or it may simply be a matter of offering several brief prayers during the day. The psalmist said to God: “To you I keep calling all day long.”—Psalm 86:3.

Improving the Quality of Our Prayers

At times you will also find it helpful to increase the length of your prayers. During a brief prayer, you may tend to speak about superficial issues. But when you utter longer and deeper prayers, you more readily express your thoughts and inner feelings. Jesus at least once spent the entire night in prayer. (Luke 6:12) No doubt you will find that your own prayers become more intimate and meaningful if you avoid rushing them.

This does not mean rambling on when you have little to say; nor does it mean resorting to meaningless repetition. Jesus warned: “When praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. So, do not make yourselves like them, for God your Father knows what things you are needing before ever you ask him.”—Matthew 6:7, 8.

Prayer is more meaningful when you give thought in advance to what subjects you want to discuss. The possibilities are endless—our joys in the ministry, our weaknesses and failings, our disappointments, our economic concerns, the pressures at work or in school, the welfare of our families, and the spiritual condition of our local congregation, to name just a few.

Does your mind sometimes tend to drift when you pray? Then put forth more effort to concentrate. After all, Jehovah is willing to ‘pay attention to our entreaties.’ (Psalm 17:1) Should we not be willing to put forth earnest effort to pay attention to our own prayers? Yes, ‘set your mind on the things of the spirit,’ and refuse to let it wander.—Romans 8:5.

The manner in which we address Jehovah is also important. Though he wants us to view him as a friend, we must never forget that we are talking to the Sovereign of the universe. Read and meditate on the awe-inspiring scene portrayed at Revelation chapters 4 and 5. There John saw in a vision the magnificence of the One whom we approach in prayer. What a privilege we have to be able to approach and gain access to “the One seated upon the throne”! Never do we want our language to become overly familiar or undignified. Rather, we should put forth concerted effort to make ‘the sayings of our mouth and the meditation of our heart pleasurable to Jehovah.’—Psalm 19:14.

Realize, though, that we do not impress Jehovah with eloquent speech. He is pleased by our respectful, heartfelt expressions, no matter how simply they are expressed.—Psalm 62:8.

Comfort and Understanding in Times of Need

When we need help and comfort, we often turn to a close friend for support and sympathy. Well, no friend is more easily accessible than Jehovah. He is “a help that is readily to be found during distresses.” (Psalm 46:1) As “the God of all comfort,” he understands what we are going through better than anyone else. (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4; Psalm 5:1; 31:7) And he has real empathy and compassion for those in dire straits. (Isaiah 63:9; Luke 1:77, 78) Perceiving Jehovah to be an understanding friend, we feel free to talk to him fervently, intensely. We are moved to express our deepest fears and anxieties. Thus we experience firsthand how Jehovah’s ‘own consolations begin to fondle our soul.’—Psalm 94:18, 19.

Sometimes we may feel unworthy to approach God because of our errors. But what if a close friend of yours erred against you and begged for forgiveness? Would you not be moved to console and reassure that one? Why, then, should you expect any less of Jehovah? He generously forgives his friends who sin as a result of human imperfection. (Psalm 86:5; 103:3, 8-11) Knowing this, we do not hold back from freely confessing our errors to him; we can be confident of his love and mercy. (Psalm 51:17) If we are depressed because of our shortcomings, we can take comfort in the words of 1 John 3:19, 20: “By this we shall know that we originate with the truth, and we shall assure our hearts before him as regards whatever our hearts may condemn us in, because God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.”

We do not need to be in dire straits, however, to enjoy God’s loving concern. Jehovah is interested in anything that might affect our spiritual and emotional welfare. Yes, never do we need to think that our feelings, thoughts, and concerns are too trivial to be mentioned in prayer. (Philippians 4:6) When you are with a close friend, do you only discuss the big events in your life? Do you not also share relatively minor concerns? In a similar way, you can feel free to talk about any facet of your life with Jehovah, knowing that “he cares for you.”—1 Peter 5:7.

Of course, a friendship is not likely to last long if all you talk about is yourself. Likewise, our prayers should not be self-centered. We should also express our love and concern for Jehovah and his interests. (Matthew 6:9, 10) Prayer is not only an opportunity to request help from God but also a chance to utter thanks and praise. (Psalm 34:1; 95:2) “Taking in knowledge” through regular personal study will aid us in this regard, as it helps us become better acquainted with Jehovah and his ways. (John 17:3) You may find it particularly helpful to read the book of Psalms and note how other faithful servants expressed themselves to Jehovah.

Jehovah’s friendship is indeed a precious gift. May we show that we appreciate it by making our prayers even more intimate, heartfelt, and personal. Then we will enjoy the happiness expressed by the psalmist, who declared: “Happy is the one you choose and cause to approach.”—Psalm 65:4.

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We can pray to God throughout the day as the opportunity arises

Questions From Readers

We were thrilled with our study of Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats. In view of the new understanding presented in “The Watchtower” of October 15, 1995, can we still say that Jehovah’s Witnesses today are sharing in a separating work?

Yes. Understandably, many have wondered about this because Matthew 25:31, 32 says: “When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” The Watchtower of October 15, 1995, showed why these verses apply after the great tribulation begins. Jesus will arrive in his glory with his angels and will sit on his judgment throne. Then, he will separate people. In what sense? He will render decisions based on what people did or did not do before that time.

We can compare this to the development of a legal process leading up to a court case. The evidence builds up over an extended period before the court rules and hands down a sentence. The evidence as to whether people now alive will turn out to be sheep or goats has been accumulating for a long time. And it is still coming in. But when Jesus sits on his throne, the case will be complete. He will be ready to render judgment. People will be separated either to everlasting cutting-off or to everlasting life.