Prayer - Who is Asking?

I have just dipped into Jeremiah and I have taken note that then, as now, God's people wander and then they cry out to Him when they are in trouble. I do not expect that to change much, but I wonder if we could think a bit about who is asking.

Does that sound strange? When you pray, of course you are asking, right? Yes and yes. For those of you in Christ, you have been given a new nature. However, you still have the old sin nature. The nature that held you in prison and caused you to choose things not of God, to violate his commands; that nature.

Your old nature is bound, it is no longer captain of your soul, however it is not dead. The old man may be dead (the you you were before you became a Christian) but the old nature is still with you. So who is asking? When you pray is it the old nature or the new? The old nature asks for things that are helpful to it, things that will serve its desires.

The old nature is not afraid to jump into your prayer life and ask for things that are not of God. Things that are natural, things of the world, things it may covet or desire. It can be as subtle as success, a business deal, or even health, and this is a key: all for (its) your sake. Me first.

The new nature is truly praying for more of Christ, for His glory, for His namesake for things that expand His kingdom. The new nature sees the glory of the King, wants more of Him, and prayers reflect that. It is fueled to speak by the means of grace: the word, the sacraments, confession, thanksgiving, adoration.

I hope that helps. I wonder how often I have prayed "in the old nature" while pretending to be in the new. I have been wrestling with the text that speaks of asking and receiving. I am thinking if the new nature is asking, it will receive a yes or better. If the old nature is asking, it will be left with a response that will be helpful to the sanctification of the soul.