06/28/2016
Today we explore the impact that prayer has on our life and religion. We will also discuss how that occurs, and the importance of that act. As I read Pastor E.M. Bounds this morning I was struck by his strong words "Prayer is not an indifferent, small thing. It is not a sweet little privilege. It is a great prerogative, far-reaching in its effects." After reading this thought I sank back into my chair and let his words sink in. Then, I glanced back at the page and continued to read... "Prayer is not just an episode of the Christian life..... Life is a preparation for and the result of prayer, prayer is the sum of religion."
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Philippians 4:6-8 ESV
We are told to think on the sum of religion... If we take all of the individual pieces of our faith and religion, and add them together, their sum is represented in prayer. Or, at least they should be! Prayer is not only this sum, but the junction point where all the aspects of our faith meet... It is the point of focus which becomes our life.
“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:23-24 ESV
As a little boy I liked to play with green and brown plastic army men. I had many and would create an entire battle scene in the back yard before fully engaging my imagination and conducting a mock war between them. I would make all the sounds of war... But it was just play. Then one day I discovered the magnifying glass, and my little men began to receive Purple Hearts as I focused the sunlight on an arm or a leg and melt into them a horrendous wound. I am not saying that prayer is like playing war with your toys, but what I am saying that it is like the magnifying glass that I discovered. Prayer gathers all of the various aspects of our faith and brings them together into a single point of focused light which is the essence of our faith and life, and the power contained in religion.
A person might hear the gospel message, or experience a moment of love, a miracle they couldn't understand, an instant of grace, the humble nature of a believer, the baptism of a friend... The list is long and varied. But, until that person begins to pray and focus all of those individual colors of religious light into a beam and employs that beam to burn the impurity of their life away, then they remain unchanged and the brushes with religion and faith they have experienced remain ineffective.
Prayer is the means by which we form a relationship with God; it is given to us by Him as a means for gathering together our various experiences of faith and focusing them within ourselves. It allows God to purge our sin by us asking for forgiveness, and increases our faith by gathering together the characteristics and commandments of God into a single powerful entity within us.
Bounds concludes his devotional thought by saying: "Prayer is not only the language of spiritual life, but prayer also makes its very essence and forms its innermost, real character."
Using my explanation, I have refined this thought into an example of light... Prayer gathers all of our religious light and combines it into a focused point where its power becomes obvious and it is applied upon our lives to fantastic effect. It takes a simple saying that people hear or read every day like "Let Go & Let God" and transforms it into a power that changes their life and the lives around them.
This morning as we pray, let's thank God for focusing our faith on those things in our life that He sees as issues. Let's pray that he continues to purge the weakness from our faith and let those things which are of Him shine through. But, most of all, let's thank him for our gift of prayer and His desire to enter into a relationship with us! Let's feel the power in what we once thought of as simple and childlike... "Jesus loves me this I know".
Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. ~ Corrie Ten Boom
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the gift of prayer you have given us and the way that it magnifies our relationship with you, and focuses all our various lessons of faith, and every facet of your Word and the gospel of Jesus, into a single powerful force that we call belief. Thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, and for your Holy Spirit who prays for us when we have no words. Thank you for all of the biblical examples of how prayer united your will with your people, and focused their faith (even if for a short time) into a powerful moment with you. Help us Father to pray without ceasing so that we might be in constant relationship with you, and help us to use prayer as we focus every moment with you into an amazing manifestation of your power and grace. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who took the prayers of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and focused them on the cross, and brought them to fruition in the tomb where He was resurrected. Great are you who takes every color in the spectrum of light and joins them together to reveal yourself to us, and then uses your Son Jesus to focus that holy light into a single beam of power and brilliance that purifies us, changes us, and changes all of creation. Glory be to you on the highest Lord, and may all of creation come together to pray, worship, and glorify you, as one, and forevermore.
Rich Forbes