David had many distinctions. Among them was an intimate prayer life.

3 min read

My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘LORD, I am coming.’

-David, Psalm 27:8

Given the wonders of technology, no longer do we have to try to communicate with someone without seeing their face. If we want to hear their words but also see their eyes and their expressions, we can do so. Even if we may be on the other side of the world from where they are, we can have some face time and feel closer.

The same is true in our relationship with God.

It may be a little confusing, but the truth is that God is both near to us and far from us at one and the same time. The Bible teaches us that by His Spirit He is within those who have placed their trust in His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:9-11). This means that we are never away from God’s presence and that He is always with us.

But the Bible also teaches us that God is transcendent, meaning He is far above us, up there on the Throne in Heaven and Jesus is at His right hand (Acts 2:32-36; Hebrews 12:2). This explains why sometimes it feels like God is so far away…because in reality, He is.

Yet, God is not so far away that we cannot reach Him. Just like the FaceTime app allows you a facial connection with someone in spite of the distance between you, so prayer allows us a spiritual connection with God in spite of the physical distance between us.

Since for now we are not able to go to God’s physical Throne and interact with Him, the next best thing is to go to Him remotely, as His Spirit and his Word guide us along in prayer. It is in these moments that we are able to talk to Him, to ask questions, to offload burdens, to ask for help…we may even cry, we may chuckle, or we may just stop to listen.

For now, prayer is the means that God has given us to have a real-time connection with Him.

We are able to talk to Him, to ask questions, to offload burdens, to ask for help…we may even cry, we may chuckle, or we may just stop to listen.

But is this legitimate? Is this a meaningful way to communicate with God?

David sure thought it was.

We know the knitty gritty details about David’s prayer life because he posted them for all the world to see. The psalms penned by David disclose that he was constantly facetiming God. That is, he was always praying. As you read through them, you can’t help but notice how many of David’s psalms are nothing more than the lyrics of his prayers. Raw, vulnerable, worshipful prayers.

“I pray to you, O LORD, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die. Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.”

-David, Psalm 28:1-2

David, this iconic though imperfect hero of the faith, did not let the fact that God was way up in Heaven keep him from talking to Him. Even though he could not get face-to-face, he could still connect with God.

His prayers serve as vivid reminders today that something special happens when we take a minute to go offline with ___________________ and go online with God.

You ready? Let’s go.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.