A Journey in Prayer

While I was in Thailand there was a lot we learned about prayer. My favorite times were when we got to walk around temples, neighborhoods, cities, and villages praying, out loud, silently, for people, with hands laid upon people, and in our own little times of team worship and intercession. It was in those moments when I felt the presence of God, and when I felt that spiritual bondage, strongholds, dominions, and authorities were being broken down, and stripped of their legal right to demonize the regions of Thailand that we were ministering to. We would see inhibitions fall away, kids have more open and soft hearts. We would find that people started to smile instead of looking hopeless while trying to appease foreign and faceless gods.
An aspect of prayer that I'm starting to grow accustomed to is the act of bringing my tears to Jesus. To look at Him with the utmost hurt and confusion, beating upon His chest, demanding an answer for the awful things that happen to the people we love. Some days I feel as if I have an awesome answer, but sometimes I feel like the best answer I've ever gotten is the answer that prayer need not an answer, only prayer. Not everything feels like it's a success, sometimes I even question why I should find enjoyment in the work that Jesus and I do together, when in reality the only thing that matters is my Yeshua, and rejoicing in my Salvation From God (the literal translation of  'yesha'a'). It's not wrong to take pleasure in good things. Even the Lord took a breath and rested on the 7th day to glory in all that He had accomplished over the six day period prior. He stayed, and has been holding up the universe since, without stopping His rest. The 3rd chapter of Genesis never says "then God got up from His rest". Yet, a great question is "when did the Holy Spirit start interceding for us?". Was it when we gained a legal and utmost righteousness, bought by the precious blood of the lamb? Was it when Humans lost their righteousness and communion with the resting Lord almighty? I don't know, but one thing I do know is that He truly actually cares and intercedes on behalf of us now. It's incredible, and humbling. Absolutely the most intimate thing you can experience in your life is deep prayer and communion with the Lord Jesus. He created intimacy, He should know how to do it well.
And that's what prayer is. Intimacy, intertwined with talking sometimes, communion other times, and just spending time with your best friend who also happens to be the Ruler of the entire Universe, of which He created, and through Him nothing was not created. In many ways I've also grown in deep appreciation for Jesus and who He is. We'll get to that soon though. Just remember that prayer is about reaching deep and exploring the caverns of the heart of God hand in hand with Him.