SPEAKER_00: Philippians 1, 3 and 4 says, I thank my God every time I remember you.
SPEAKER_00: In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
SPEAKER_00: How cool is it that Paul says he always prays with joy.
SPEAKER_00: I did a quick search and confirmed that he spoke about joy when it comes to prayer in multiple letters of his in the New Testament, including not only here in Philippians, but Romans, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians.
SPEAKER_00: But for today's daily walk, I want to talk about one of the reasons for having joy in our prayer life, and that is access.
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews 4.16 says, Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
SPEAKER_00: This is such an amazing verse about having access to God through prayer, and it's certainly not an isolated one.
SPEAKER_00: The theme actually runs through the Old and New Testaments.
SPEAKER_00: It says in Exodus that the Lord would speak to Moses face to face as one speaks to a friend.
SPEAKER_00: And how about Daniel?
SPEAKER_00: Prayer was such a way of life for him that he would pray to God even when it was illegal.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus prayed to the Father about everything.
SPEAKER_00: And shouldn't we do the same?
SPEAKER_00: Yes, through Jesus, who was and is God in the flesh, we have access to God.
SPEAKER_00: We who are parents love to have our children share their very hearts with us.
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's the same with God.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, we should be in constant communication with the one who is our source of strength.
SPEAKER_00: Richard Conwisher, a pastor in Atlanta, Georgia, says that when you pray, you stand at the fault line between heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_00: And who doesn't recall the words of an old hymn?
SPEAKER_00: Oh, what peace we often forfeit.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
SPEAKER_00: This is Dan Stevens.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining me.