7.1.2 Your image of God Determines your Prayer Life

The image you have of God, which is stored deep down in your soul, determines your prayer life. What you believe about God in your innermost being will determine the depth, joy and authority of your prayer life. 

Therefore, it is essential that every disciple of Jesus who wants to learn to pray deals with his inner image of God and allows this image to be renewed. In Isaiah 62, we see a strong prayer movement (Is 62:6), which is fed by the “bride-groom paradigm” (Is 62:3). The Bible often speaks of a God who rejoices passionately (Ps 16:3; 16:11; 18:20; 37:23; 147:11; Jer 32:41; Zeph 3:17; Mt 3:17; Luk 15; 1Tim 1:11). There are at least four reasons why God rejoices in you now and enjoys your journey with him:

1. God is love – beauty is in the eye of the beholder. God, in his heart, has a love willing to die for you. He rejoices in you because of who HE is (Exodus 34:6; Isa 62:5; Lk 15:20; 1John 3:1).

2. God is eternal – God created space and time. He is the beginning and the end. For him, the past, present and future are as one. He can see you five, ten, 1,000 and a hundred million years from now! Therefore, he is completely patient and can enjoy every step of your journey to him (Ps 90:2; Ps 139:16; Isa 40:21; Isa 42:9; Isa 46:10; Rev 1:8). 

3. You are in Christ – in Jesus you are a new creation. Since your rebirth, Jesus’ work is for you. Everything he gained through righteousness, you receive by grace! The Father sees you like Jesus (2Cor 5:17; Eph 1). 

4. Your willing spirit – man sees only what is before his eyes, but the Lord sees your heart (1Sam 16:7). He can see your love, even if it is weak, it is real before him. He can even rejoice in you if you fail because he sees your willing spirit (John 13:36; Mt 26:41; John 18:10; John 18:17; John 18:25; Luke 22:61; John 20:19; John 21:1; John 21:15).