Text: Psalm 63:1-3
Memory verse:
“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” ‭‭(Psalm 42‬:‭2‬).

A little boy once ran away from home, being angry with his mother. About 3:00 p.m., he left home and started out towards the end of town. But at about 4:00 p.m. he started to get hungry.  He had a change of heart and decided to return home. He thought that his greatest need was to have his supper but found out that his greatest need was for his mother.
Likewise, prayer is a means of expressing our true need of God, which is to just be in His presence. The highest form of prayer is worship, adoration, and fellowship with God Himself. It is an inner cry that drives you to your closet, at every opportunity, just to be with Him. It’s the awakening hunger that causes you to rise up early from your bed to commune with Him. Like a spouse, who, having just arrived into town after a long period of being absent from the house, rushed home to see the family instead of doing other important things outside! Your heart will always long for the place where your treasure is. You see the true heart of God’s seekers in the prayer of David (Psalms 42:1-2; 63:1-5: 84:1-2)
No wonder, God called David a man after His own heart. Just being in His presence to praise Him and feast was his utmost longing.
“Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.” ‭‭(Psa‬ ‭63‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬).
You have heard this common phrase, ‘Prayer changes things’ or ‘Prayer makes things happen’. No, prayer doesn’t change anything nor does it make anything happen but God does. Prayer is asking. It’s not causing. God causes things to change. It’s not prayer that is powerful but God.
This wrong thinking makes some to use prayer as a magic. Rather than seeing it as a fellowship, they use prayer like a channel to send a list. They are like the hit-and-run driver. They treat prayer like a machine. Just press, take, go and return when next you have a need. They are like people who just smile with you and show loyalty to you just because of their need but don’t sincerely love you. They use you and dump you.
Friends, until you see prayer more as a fellowship with God, you are just a God-user and not a God-seeker.

Prayer points
1. Father, please, cause me to love Your presence and make me a God-seeker and not a God-user in Jesus name.
2. Father, please, create a hunger in me that cannot be satisfied with any other thing than being in Your presence in Jesus name.

Today’s declarations
1. My utmost need is not prayer but God, fellowshiping, worshiping and adoring Him.
2. Prayer is not powerful nor does it change any thing but it’s God whom I fellowship with in prayer that is powerful and changes things.

Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng