Topical Bible: Prayer is Described as Seeking to God

Bible > Topical > Prayer is Described as Seeking to God

◄ Prayer is Described as Seeking to God ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Prayer, within the Christian tradition, is fundamentally understood as an act of seeking God. This concept is deeply rooted in the Scriptures, where prayer is portrayed as a vital means of communication with the Divine, an earnest pursuit of God's presence, guidance, and intervention.

The act of seeking God through prayer is vividly illustrated in the Old Testament. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 , God promises Solomon, "if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land." Here, seeking God's face is synonymous with prayer, emphasizing a heartfelt pursuit of God's favor and forgiveness.

The Psalms frequently depict prayer as seeking God. Psalm 27:8 states, "My heart said, 'Seek His face.' Your face, O LORD, I will seek." This verse reflects a personal and intimate desire to connect with God, highlighting prayer as a response to God's invitation to seek Him. Similarly, Psalm 105:4 exhorts believers to "Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always," underscoring the continuous nature of this pursuit.

In the New Testament, Jesus Himself models prayer as seeking God. In Matthew 6:33 , He instructs, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." This directive places the pursuit of God's kingdom and righteousness at the forefront of a believer's life, with prayer being a primary means of seeking these divine priorities.

The Apostle Paul also emphasizes prayer as seeking God. In Philippians 4:6 , he encourages believers, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Here, prayer is portrayed as a means of seeking God's peace and provision, a way to bring one's concerns before the Lord with trust and gratitude.

Furthermore, the Epistle to the Hebrews highlights the confidence believers have in seeking God through prayer. Hebrews 4:16 declares, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." This passage assures believers that through prayer, they can boldly seek God's mercy and grace, trusting in His willingness to respond.

Throughout the Bible, prayer as seeking God is not merely a ritualistic practice but a dynamic and relational pursuit. It involves humility, sincerity, and a deep longing for God's presence and will. This seeking is both a personal and communal endeavor, as believers are encouraged to seek God individually and corporately, trusting in His promise to be found by those who earnestly seek Him.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 8:5
If you would seek to God betimes, and make your supplication to the Almighty;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of the Prayer of Recollection which God Generally Gives the Soul ...
... a more advanced stage of what I have described; they think ... she mentions a second
form of the prayer of recollection ... of the city of this world seeking Thee, but ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter iii of the prayer.htm

Prayer --Fills Man's Poverty with God's Riches
... Living Creatures," in Rev.4:6, are described as "full ... in the habit of prayer, so
devoted to prayer, so filled ... out the soul before God," and "Seeking with all ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/ii prayerfills mans poverty with.htm

The Great Fruits Produced by the Above-Mentioned Prayer. The ...
... GREAT FRUITS PRODUCED BY THE ABOVE-MENTIONED PRAYER. ... THESE EFFECTS AND THOSE FORMERLY
DESCRIBED SHOULD BE ... but seems entirely occupied in seeking God's interests ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter iii the great fruits.htm

This ChapterShows How, when God Bestows Greater Favours on the ...
... SOME OF THE LATTER ARE DESCRIBED AND DIRECTIONS HOW TO ... nothing is seen in this prayer
that can ... Fourthly, souls seeking God's honour and glory more than their ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter i this chapter shows.htm

The Fourth State of Prayer. The Great Dignity of the Soul Raised ...
... The soul, while thus seeking after God, is conscious, with a ... and had risen from the
very prayer of which ... for it cannot be more clearly described, because what ...
/.../teresa/the life of st teresa of jesus/chapter xviii the fourth state.htm

Begins to Treat of the Union of the Soul with God in Prayer. How ...
... other hand, in the prayer (of quiet) described in the ... conviction of the truth learnt
during her prayer that she ... how she wandered up and down seeking her Beloved ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter i begins to treat.htm

Prayer and a Definite Religious Standard
... "The Angel Gabriel described Him as ... The more there is of prayer in the life, the
more ... about making for ourselves the jolly, pleasure-seeking religious company ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/ix prayer and a definite.htm

The Gethsemane Prayer
... The scene is well described by Luke: ... of spiritual laziness, and of half-heartedness
in prayer, are covered ... Jesus did this once in seeking to change the purpose ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/xii the gethsemane prayer.htm

The Power of Prayer in Relation to Outward Circumstances.
... asking in your prayers for the reason of them, or seeking to know ... will now, I hope,
admit that there is no true prayer but that which I described in the ...
/.../schleiermacher/selected sermons of schleiermacher/i the power of prayer.htm

What is the Power of Prayer? Also Concerning the Blessed ...
... be Divinity, must we begin with prayer: not as ... introduce fresh teaching, but only
seeking by more ... extraordinary psychic experiences, which are described in his ...
/.../rolt/dionysius the areopagite/chapter iii what is the.htm