God is less concerned about giving you what you want than strengthening the faith connection between him and you. Because this connection is God’s priority, he will give us opportunities to exercise and grow our faith. This perspective makes sense of something that is happening in the psalms, something that is otherwise strange. It seems that God wants to let people seek before they find, he wants them to knock before the door is opened, and he wants them to ask and to keep on asking before they receive (Matthew 7:7). Why? We might put this question another way: God knows what we need before we pray, so why pray? Prayer is not just giving information to God about what we need. It is the exercise of our faith in God. God wants you to express and exercise your trust in him, because, as you do this, you draw closer to him. God doesn’t just want your prayers, he wants you. He wants you to take hold of him in faith and hold tight. Throughout the psalter, we find people pleading with God and doing so for some time. God is not being elusive. He shapes our hearts as we pray and speaks to us in the process. The process builds passion and conviction, and without these things our relationship with God goes cold. Don’t just ask God for things; tell God how you feel, express your conviction about why God would answer you, show God your confidence in his character and love. This sort of prayer will bind you closer to God.
Bring an area of need to God in prayer.
Read Psalm 86
