“There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.” (John 4:7 KJV)
You know what is fascinating about this story to me? The woman doesn’t begin this dialog. She has many needs, but she doesn’t begin by asking for anything. It’s Jesus who begins this dialog. She is doubtful because of her past and sin until Jesus is able to get that out of the way.
As strange as it may seem, maybe we do Sunday schools and small groups backwards. Instead of bringing our requests first, we should hear what Jesus has to say. Then we can better let go of our past and sin to let Jesus more completely answer what was our real problem to begin with. We all know Matthew 6:8 for the hundreds of times that it has been quoted to us. “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:8 KJV) Maybe because he knows what we are going to ask all along, he’s trying to draw it out of us! He really does begin the dialog because he best knows what needs to be dealt with before the needs can fully be answered. There is real value in first confessing before the prayer is effective. After all, what makes us “righteous”? Our really really good behaviour before entering the prayer closet? Or that we have let his righteousness cover us first!
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16 KJV)