Many people ponder on the question, Is praying all that we need to get closer to God? I read these teachings of the MCGI on this issue and I realized that prayer is extremely essential however, the bible illustrates that prayer is not sufficient. I have spent a good number of hours contemplating on this, and I understood that getting closer to the God does not only mean talking to Him, but also obedience, understanding, and living according to what He says.
First, prayer is powerful. In Philippians 4: 6 it is stated in the Bible that in all things through prayer and supplication, your requests be known unto God. Prayer opens the heart of God and makes us rely on him. Personally, I always get peaceful when I am praying. However, prayer should be linked with obedience. In 1 John 3:22, God says that He responds to people who keep His commandments. This indicates that obedience is imperative to prayer.
The other thing I learnt in MCGI is that in order to be closer to God, we have to listen to Him as well through His words. In John 6:63, Jesus said: The words that I say unto you are life. This implies that the Bible is not elective. Through the study of the Scriptures, I know the will of God. There is a danger to pray without reading and following His word because, in this case, I may not know Him.
It is also essential that fellowship is important. According to the Bible, Hebrews 10: 25, we should not forsake assembling of ourselves together. This implies that having fellowship with other believers is a way of developing. In MCGI, learning by worshipping collectively, preaching, and fellowship have been taught as a way of enhancing our faith. It is only good to pray alone, but God also desires that we should grow with the help of the church.
I also got to know that good works are a part of drawing nearer to God. James 4 8 has it, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Coming close is to lead a pure and a genuine life. It entails serving others, forgiveness of others and repentance. These are activities that demonstrate that we pray in good faith.
Having meditated a lot over this subject, I am now in a position to realize that prayer is a powerful base, but not the only measure. To become nearer to God, I still need to pray, follow his commandments, read His word, associate with other people and live in accordance to His teachings.
Prayer is the starting point of the trip, yet obedience is the finishing part.
Faith makes our prayers to work