You Were Created to Pray預覽

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®, copyright 1984 by the International Bible Society.

Created to Reflect God’s Nature

God has an eternal commitment to His purpose and plans. His purpose is His will and intent, which He Himself will fulfill. He has spoken, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isaiah 46:10).

Since God is a God of purpose, everything He created in this world, including men and women, has been designed to fulfill His purpose. God’s actions are never arbitrary. Therefore, when He said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), what does this statement reveal about His purpose for humanity?

The first revelation of His purpose for human beings is that God created humanity to reflect His character and personality. We were created to be like Him, having His “image” and “likeness” (Genesis 1:26). This means we were created to have His nature and moral character; they were meant to be the essence of our being.

The personal reason God created mankind was to establish a relationship of mutual love with humanity. God created mankind in His own image so love could be freely given and received between Creator and created. The only reason you and I can have fellowship with God is that God made us out of His own essence. He created us to be spirit, just as He is Spirit. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Although God is our Creator, He has always emphasized that He is our Father. It wasn’t His desire to be primarily thought of as an awesome God or a “consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24). God wants us to approach Him as children would a loving father: “Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” (Deuteronomy 32:6). “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).

We were created out of God’s essence, and we are always dependent on God as our Source. As human beings, we are not self-sufficient, even though we often would like to think we are! We cannot reveal God’s image and likeness apart from a relationship with Him. We were intended to reflect God’s nature in the context of being continually connected to Him in fellowship. First John 4:16 says, “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

In the next devotional, we will begin to explore the vital connection between our creation in God’s image, our fellowship with Him, and our divine calling to pray.

Let’s pray together:

Heavenly Father,

You have said, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). On the basis of this promise, we call to You and ask You to show us great and unsearchable truths about prayer that You have set forth in Your Word. Give us open minds and hearts to hear Your Word and to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us Your purposes and truth. We pray this in the name of Jesus, our Wisdom, and our Strength. Amen.

Thought: God created mankind in His image, with His nature and moral character, and we are always meant to be dependent on Him as our Source.